President Xi meets Pak PM Kakar, seeks 'effective measures' for Chinese personnel working for CPEC projects
The Hindu
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday proposed to upgrade the USD 60 billion CPEC during a meeting with Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar here but sought “effective measures” to ensure security for hundreds of Chinese workers who faced frequent attacks from militants in the country.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday proposed to upgrade the USD 60 billion CPEC during a meeting with Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar here but sought "effective measures" to ensure security for hundreds of Chinese workers who faced frequent attacks from militants in the country.
Mr. Kakar along with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickramasinghe is here to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation being hosted by Xi.
Xi assured Kakkar that China will continue to support Pakistan in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.
In his speech at the concluding session of the meeting on Wednesday, Xi promised that two Chinese-backed development banks – the China Development Bank and the Export–Import Bank of China – will each set up 350 billion yuan (USD 47.9 billion) financing windows. An additional 80 billion yuan (USD11 billion) will be invested in Beijing’s Silk Road Fund to support BRI projects.
Pakistan is the largest recipient of BRI funding for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). India, which boycotted the BRI Forum meeting, has protested against the project as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
In his meeting with Kakar, Xi said that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and ironclad friends, noting that successive Pakistani governments have actively supported and participated in the Belt and Road Initiative cooperation.
He said over the past 10 years, the CPEC has achieved fruitful results, effectively promoting Pakistan's economic and social development, and becoming an important signature project of the Belt and Road cooperation.
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