[VIDEOS] Imran Khan's China trip - What will be achieved from it?

[MenInG]

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday termed the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a "mechanism" which would not only help the regional economy but also increase connectivity.

In his keynote address at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, the PM said: "CPEC is a mechanism that will forge even closer connectivity between the Middle East and China and between central and South Asia."

PM Khan lauded Chinese President Xi Jinping's vision to open the "doors of China" to the world "at a time when the international trade system is under attack, when unilateral commercial benefits are being sought aggressively by some [and] when protectionism is on the rise".

He highlighted Pakistan's importance to President Xi's ambitious Belt and Road economic initiative — of which CPEC is a part — and said that access to Gwadar Port is vital for China to gain access to the rest of the region.

"In Pakistan, the Karakoram Highway merges into a network of modern highways that are part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. These take you to the deep sea port of Gwadar, the point where the Belt and Road converge... This impacts not only Pakistan but has an impact on all the economies of the entire region."

PM Khan also talked about the advantages that CPEC would bring to the region and said: "CPEC shall cut distances and costs bringing much needed resources to producers and new products to consumers."

"It is opening fresh investment avenues, new markets [and] new vistas."

The premier then emphasised on his party's desire to bring about "change" in Pakistan by "initiating deep and meaningful reforms impacting all sectors and every aspect of governance".

"We are committed to improving our framework of transparency and accountability," he said, adding that his government was looking to improving governance and business by using "seamless and smart technology".

PM Khan also highlighted the assets that make Pakistan an attractive place to invest in.

"We in Pakistan are blessed with an abundant array of resources ranging from minerals to fertile land, to a wealth of renewables and the most diverse landscape with 12 climatic zones," he pointed out. He also mentioned Pakistan's major industries, including textile, surgical and sports goods etc.

"But by far, our greatest and most promising resource is human," he declared. "We have 100 million Pakistanis below the age of 35 — a young, vibrant population. And the Naya, or new, Pakistan will be [a] more conducive and more competitive place for transacting business."

https://www.dawn.com/news/1443724/p...m-for-trade-and-connectivity-at-shanghai-expo

 

[Eagle_Eye]

"Fertile land"....

Chinese rice crops is very vulnerable to climate change.... I would be wary of Chinese investment in agriculture, unless Pakistan wants to change from Basmati to sticky rice.

I just get the feeling that this trip hasn't gone the way IK was hoping.

 

[shortbread]

"Fertile land"....

Chinese rice crops is very vulnerable to climate change.... I would be wary of Chinese investment in agriculture, unless Pakistan wants to change from Basmati to sticky rice.

I just get the feeling that this trip hasn't gone the way IK was hoping.

I think there should be focus on water supply, storage and irrigation for agriculture to thrive. Once this infrastructure in place there is a lot of potential for agriculture, albeit right now it is in the doldrums due to repeated droughts.

 

[the Great Khan]

"Fertile land"....

Chinese rice crops is very vulnerable to climate change.... I would be wary of Chinese investment in agriculture, unless Pakistan wants to change from Basmati to sticky rice.

I just get the feeling that this trip hasn't gone the way IK was hoping.

based on what? he signed 15 MOU's and was given commitments on economic assistance including grants and some loans. He has done more than enough. The problem we have is we have had PM's in the past who have gone around the world begging and receiving loans with stupid repayment plan options. Most of that money is then siphoned off back to the countries they borrowed it from in the first place.

We have to face the reality that the tajarbakaar govt left us in. Bankruptcy and economic hardship..Nobody is going to suddenly give us a magic wand to get us out of it..

 

[Eagle_Eye]

based on what? he signed 15 MOU's and was given commitments on economic assistance including grants and some loans. He has done more than enough. The problem we have is we have had PM's in the past who have gone around the world begging and receiving loans with stupid repayment plan options. Most of that money is then siphoned off back to the countries they borrowed it from in the first place.

We have to face the reality that the tajarbakaar govt left us in. Bankruptcy and economic hardship..Nobody is going to suddenly give us a magic wand to get us out of it..

Those MOUs etc... are polite way of saying no. Agree with what you say. But, I think IK was hoping for lot more considering what Saudis had done.

My concern is that the Xi is going to project lot more authoritarianism overseas especially when they have the legal cover. And if you have corrupt and incompetent sign bad deals on your behalf then somewhere down the line it's all going to come to a head. Somewhere up above is perhaps looking out for pakistan, another term of incompetent and corrupt would have put pakistan in a very precarious position.

Let's just entertain a scenario where Pakistan cannot service the debt... then what?

 

[the Great Khan]

Those MOUs etc... are polite way of saying no. Agree with what you say. But, I think IK was hoping for lot more considering what Saudis had done.

My concern is that the Xi is going to project lot more authoritarianism overseas especially when they have the legal cover. And if you have corrupt and incompetent sign bad deals on your behalf then somewhere down the line it's all going to come to a head. Somewhere up above is perhaps looking out for pakistan, another term of incompetent and corrupt would have put pakistan in a very precarious position.

Let's just entertain a scenario where Pakistan cannot service the debt... then what?

of all the debt the chinese one is the one that we can actually service. Its 10% of our debt. the one you should be worried about is the one we owe the west.

Also how do you know what IK's expectation from this trip was? We have no idea what they were expecting, what they were negotiating, whehter their goals were met etc. One thing is for sure. China has agreed to diversify phase 2 of CPEC, has reiterated its resolve to support Pakistan through this economic difficulty and also to provide strategic support...

they have also agree to provide some grants and loans. What more could we have asked for? IK has repeatedly said his aim is to reduce the cruelty of the IMF's measures. I think he will succeed there..

 

[Syed1]

Media saying trip not very fruitful.

 

[AMSS]

Those MOUs etc... are polite way of saying no.

That's what BCCI said.

 

[PakLFC]

Media saying trip not very fruitful.

I expected the media to only report negativity. It has been a fruitful visit from what I have beeen reading.

 

[Something]

I expected the media to only report negativity. It has been a fruitful visit from what I have beeen reading.

Please share what you've been reading because I've been reading the exact opposite. Also, if you're not getting your information from media (either print or digital or whatever) where are you getting it from because apparently according to you media is only reporting negativity.

 

[szundercover]

sorry this was the article

https://dailytimes.com.pk/318961/khans-visit-and-the-chinese-mindset/

 

[Something]

sorry this was the article

https://dailytimes.com.pk/318961/khans-visit-and-the-chinese-mindset/

eh. It's an opinion piece with hardly any facts.

 

[Abdullah719]

Foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi says Pakistan 'out of the woods' after China trip

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday briefed the media on Prime Minister Imran Khan-led contingent's recent visit to China, claiming that the trip was "productive to the extent that we are out of the woods".

Shortly after, a press release from the Ministry of Finance stated that a delegation comprising the federal secretaries of finance, foreign affairs, planning & development and commerce, along with the State Bank of Pakistan governor, will visit China during the current week to work out modalities of a balance of payments support deal.

The meeting is expected to take place in Beijing on November 9.

Relationship to be enhanced
The foreign minister, who had accompanied the PM to China, explained during a press conference that the purpose of the visit to China was to "send a message to the international community" and also "move the two countries' strategic relationship towards an economic partnership".

He said that a total of 15 memorandum of understanding (MoUs) were signed in China, of which he highlighted a quartet.

"We decided that our strategic dialogue must be upgraded and its level be raised to the FM level," he said. "It was also decided to transfer our citizens sentenced there and theirs sentenced here so that they can serve their sentences in their own countries.

"Thirdly, the MoU which is important to me is poverty alleviation. China is a country that has taken 700 million people out poverty in the last 30 years. One-third of our population also lives below the poverty line — so the purpose of this MoU was to learn from the Chinese experience."

"The fourth MoU was regarding agricultural cooperation," he said. "We think that through transfer of technology, we can get a lot from China. We can learn how to increase our productivity and our per-acre produce."

Qureshi claimed that the trip also served to rubbish the notion that the Pak-China relationship would suffer under the PTI government.

"The perception that some people here tried to give that the government was not paying attention to our relationship with China," he said. "There is nothing to it. I can say that our relations with China are not just great but could get even better than before.

"This visit helped us in moving our relationship towards an economic partnership. We have always had good strategic relations so our aim [this time] was to figure how to advance the economic footprint."

The foreign minister said he is confident that the discussion with the Chinese counterparts would help Pakistan "double its exports".

He further said that the two sides would try and wrap up the second phase of the Pakistan-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by April 2019.

Another contingent to visit China for 'balance of payments support': finance ministry
Meanwhile, a statement released by the finance ministry said that Pakistani and Chinese leaders "noted with satisfaction that CPEC’s first stage, which comprised of infrastructure and energy sector improvements, has almost been completed."

The two sides, according to the ministry's press release, "decided that the next stage of CPEC will focus on industrial expansion, agricultural revitalization and trade integration of the two economies. This phase will help the Government of Pakistan in achieving its objectives of job creation and export growth."

The finance ministry stated that "discussions on immediate market access for Pakistan’s exports as well as balance of payments support" also took place in Beijing.

"The top Chinese leadership expressed their strong support and a task force was established by both sides to discuss the matters further," the statement reads, adding that "a senior level delegation comprising of federal secretaries of finance, foreign affairs, planning & development and commerce along with the State Bank of Pakistan's governor will undertake a visit to China during the current week to work out the modalities".

https://www.dawn.com/news/1443976/foreign-minister-says-pakistan-out-of-the-woods-after-china-trip

 

[MenInG]

He better be right!

 

[PakLFC]

Please share what you've been reading because I've been reading the exact opposite. Also, if you're not getting your information from media (either print or digital or whatever) where are you getting it from because apparently according to you media is only reporting negativity.

So are you saying that the media is saying good things about IK's visit? I am getting my information from the likes of ARY digital. As I said the Pak media always paints a picture of doom and gloom. They are paid to be so pessimistic.

 

[GBK_Fan]

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1842806/1-pakistan-secures-1b-duty-free-access-china/

Pretty good if true

 

[hussain.r97]

‘Exports to China will double in FY19’

ISLAMABAD: China has agreed to increase its imports from Pakistan to $2.2 billion by end of 2018-19 from the existing level of $1.2bn and to $3.2bn by end of next fiscal year, Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce, Industry and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood said on Wednesday.

He was addressing a joint press briefing along with Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Khusro Bakhtiar.

“We wanted China to give Pakistan market access and increase tariff lines with similar conditions that it had offered to Bangladesh and member countries of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean),” the adviser said.

“Keeping in view the lengthy process of amending the priority list tariff lines between the two countries, Chinese Premier Li had assured the Pakistani side to enhance its imports from Pakistan immediately,” he added.

On the occasion, the adviser said that media was misquoting Minister for Finance Asad Umar by reporting that the country’s exports would be doubled within the current year. “In fact, the finance minister had said that Pakistan’s export to China would be doubled by end of current year.”

Mr Dawood said the government and private sector must identify potential areas — including textile, leather, agriculture, surgical goods, and light engineering — for enhancing exports to China.

The adviser said that unless ‘export culture’ flourishes in the country, the current account deficit issue cannot be addressed on a permanent basis. “We cannot pay debt by borrowing more.” The government, he said, was determined to facilitate local industry to enhance exports and to provide proper facilitation at the ports.

Mr Dawood underlined the need to develop and promote local industrial sectors on modern lines to produce competitive products.

On the occasion, the planning minister said that during the recent visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China, the two sides signed agreements for cooperation in various sectors including agriculture and elimination of poverty from the country.

He said the scope of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had also been enhanced. Development of the mega-project has now entered into the second phase which is industrial cooperation, he added.

The minister said that he would be visiting China in December to attend the annual Joint Coordination Committee on CPEC in Beijing where further breakthrough is expected.

Mr Bakhtiar said the previous governments had not paid attention to the development of Gwadar port and city. “However this government is giving top priority to the port and city’s development,” he said.

“Every year, Pakistan imports crude petroleum oil worth of $16bn. If an oil refinery is established in Gwadar, Pakistan would be able to save its import bill worth over $7bn,” he stressed.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2018

https://www.dawn.com/news/1444295/exports-to-china-will-double-in-fy19

 

[Gabbar Singh]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Chinese consul general says that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#China</a> would "never leave <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pakistan</a> in a lurch".<a href="https://t.co/xfoUGwH9db">https://t.co/xfoUGwH9db</a></p>— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) <a href="https://twitter.com/dawn_com/status/1069171328769556480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[zn426]

ISLAMABAD: China has agreed to increase its imports from Pakistan to $2.2 billion by end of 2018-19 from the existing level of $1.2bn and to $3.2bn by end of next fiscal year, Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce, Industry and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood said on Wednesday.

He was addressing a joint press briefing along with Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Khusro Bakhtiar.

“We wanted China to give Pakistan market access and increase tariff lines with similar conditions that it had offered to Bangladesh and member countries of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean),” the adviser said.

“Keeping in view the lengthy process of amending the priority list tariff lines between the two countries, Chinese Premier Li had assured the Pakistani side to enhance its imports from Pakistan immediately,” he added.

On the occasion, the adviser said that media was misquoting Minister for Finance Asad Umar by reporting that the country’s exports would be doubled within the current year. “In fact, the finance minister had said that Pakistan’s export to China would be doubled by end of current year.”

Mr Dawood said the government and private sector must identify potential areas — including textile, leather, agriculture, surgical goods, and light engineering — for enhancing exports to China.

The adviser said that unless ‘export culture’ flourishes in the country, the current account deficit issue cannot be addressed on a permanent basis. “We cannot pay debt by borrowing more.” The government, he said, was determined to facilitate local industry to enhance exports and to provide proper facilitation at the ports.

Mr Dawood underlined the need to develop and promote local industrial sectors on modern lines to produce competitive products.

On the occasion, the planning minister said that during the recent visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China, the two sides signed agreements for cooperation in various sectors including agriculture and elimination of poverty from the country.

He said the scope of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had also been enhanced. Development of the mega-project has now entered into the second phase which is industrial cooperation, he added.

The minister said that he would be visiting China in December to attend the annual Joint Coordination Committee on CPEC in Beijing where further breakthrough is expected.

Mr Bakhtiar said the previous governments had not paid attention to the development of Gwadar port and city. “However this government is giving top priority to the port and city’s development,” he said.

“Every year, Pakistan imports crude petroleum oil worth of $16bn. If an oil refinery is established in Gwadar, Pakistan would be able to save its import bill worth over $7bn,” he stressed.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2018

https://www.dawn.com/news/1444295/exports-to-china-will-double-in-fy19

This is absolutely the right approach. Build in Pakistan, get products going out to China and other countries, and save on costs at home. If China is happy with it (and I think they are because that means a productive, economically driven Pakistan), then Pakistan will go far.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Hope IK raises the Uyghurs issue. Only Pakistani who can.

 

[Napa]

of all the debt the chinese one is the one that we can actually service. Its 10% of our debt. the one you should be worried about is the one we owe the west.

I believe Pakistan's external debt is around $90 billion and the total CEPC debt (which is mostly kept secret) is about $60 billion if all the infrastructure China wants to sell Pakistan actually is bought. Also, the yearly repayment may currently be 10%, but CEPC repayments are supposed to rise to about $3 to 4 billion by 2023.

NS was the guy who is responsible for the CEPC debt. He was in a difficult position. It was going to massively increase the debt, but he saw no option to jumpstarting the economy without China's CEPC infrastructure investments.

 

[Napa]

Hope IK raises the Uyghurs issue. Only Pakistani who can.

You have a very poor and idealistic understanding of the world. What power do you think IK has over the Chinese to get them to stop their repression of Uyghurs which their Communist Party believes is necessary for curbing secessionism? Well publicized media reports in the West have had no impact on Chinese behavior, and IK has far less power.

 

[aukhan]

Hope IK raises the Uyghurs issue. Only Pakistani who can.

IK is a hypocrite he will not do anything that will make the masters unhappy.

 

[Varun]

Hope IK raises the Uyghurs issue. Only Pakistani who can.

Uyghurs are of no use to Pakistan yesterday, today or tomorrow.

Forget about them and hope Imran Khan worries about his pure mandate - Pakistan's economy.

Then again, he did raise that Dutch issue not long ago...

 

[Greenstorm]

Hope IK raises the Uyghurs issue. Only Pakistani who can.

Agreed. No harm in trying.

 

[Zeeraq]

In new FTA, China extends zero rate access to more goods

ISLAMABAD: The Chinese government has finally offered Pakistan market access similar to that offered to countries of Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) after seven years of negotiations.

According to Secretary Finance Mohammad Younus Dagha, the Chinese government has agreed to immediately reduce duties to zero per cent on 313 tariff lines.

Dagha led the technical team in the negotiations in his previous assignment as commerce secretary, and says he sought to secure market access to China on the pattern of the Asean economies. “We successfully got the best possible gains for Pakistan”, the secretary claimed while talking to Dawn.

Pakistan and China have concluded the second phase of China-Pakistan free trade agreement (FTA) after seven years of talks. The protocol was initialled by current Secretary Commerce Ahmad Nawaz Sukhera and Chinese Vice-Minister on April 13 in Beijing.

The final agreement will be signed by commerce ministers of the two countries during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to China end of the month. Both sides will get approval from their respective cabinets before signing the pact.

An official source in the Commerce Division told Dawn that China’s willingness to finally offer Pakistan market access on Asean-plus model was in the light of understanding reached between PM Khan and Chinese president.

The second phase of FTA was supposed to commence from the sixth year of agreement ie 2013, but was delayed as officials from both countries failed to reach an agreement despite meeting over 12 times. Talks on Phase-II began in 2011.

Sharing the outcome of the negotiations, Dagha said that Islamabad will get market access for 313 tariff lines, which will cover most of its exports and encourage exports to China.

With signing of the agreement, he said the duty structure on these items will come immediately to zero per cent. “The new agreement will have a positive impact on our exports to China,” Dagha said.

“The Chinese government has also agreed to allow us to protect 25pc of our total tariff lines from duty reduction under the second phase” he said, adding “we have included all those tariff lines identified by chambers of commerce and associations for protection.”

As per Chinese FTA with Asean, reduction on tariffs is almost over 90pc of the total tariff lines.

Under the agreement, Pakistan will reduce duty to zero on 75pc of total tariff lines in 15 years, while China will do the same in a period of 10 years. During this period, China will reduce duty to zero per cent on around 2,000 -2,500 tariff lines for Pakistan.

The FTA between China and Pakistan covers nearly 7,000 tariff lines at the eight-digit level of the HS code. Both sides had reduced tariffs on almost 36pc of the tariff lines to zero during first three years of PCFTA’s Phase-1.

Commerce ministry spokesperson was approached but could not provide any details of the agreement. Meanwhile the Commerce Division’s team turned to social media to share photo ops from the ceremonious initialing of the protocol, while they were unable to provide any details of the agreement or answer any questions posed to them.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1476416/in-new-fta-china-extends-zero-rate-access-to-more-goods

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Success.

 

[Abdullah719]

PM Imran reaches Beijing for second official visit of China

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday reached Beijing for his four-day official tour of China to "take the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership [between the two countries] to new heights", said an official statement.

It marks the premier's second official visit to the country since coming into power. His first visit had come in November last year, following which China's President Xi Jinping had invited him again to attend the second Belt and Road Forum, which kicks off in Beijing on Friday.

Upon arrival in Beijing, the prime minister was received by Deputy Secretary-General of the Beijing Municipal Committee of CPPCC, Li Lifeng, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Yao Jing, and Ambassador of Pakistan to China, Masood Khalid.

The premier was accompanied by Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, Minister for Water Resources Muhammad Faisal Vawda, Advisor on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Advisor on Commerce Abdul Razaq Dawood, and Chairman Task Force on Science & Technology Dr Atta ur Rehman.

"China is our closest friend and 'iron brother'," Prime Minister Imran had said prior to his departure. "I look forward to meeting my good friends President Xi and Premier Li for an in-depth exchange of views on all issues of mutual interest."

The prime minister said that the Pak-China ties do not merely arise out of a "convergence of interests" but are rooted in past shared experiences and a "high-level of mutual trust and understanding".

"This friendship is ingrained in the hearts and minds of our people. It would remain unaffected by any regional and international developments," he added.

The premier also thanked China "for its strong and unequivocal support to Pakistan’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity", vowing that Pakistan too "will continue to stand by China on all issues of its core interest".

Furthermore, the prime minister said he "strongly endorses China’s vision of a peaceful world based on win-win cooperation and community of shared destiny and a new model of development envisioned in President Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative".

Speaking about the second phase of the China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC), PM Imran noted that the two countries "are jointly focusing on socio-economic development, job creation, as well as livelihood, agriculture and industrial projects, including Special Economic Zones".

"I am strongly committed to further strengthening [the] Pakistan-China relationship. I am confident that my visit will be instrumental in further expanding the scope and depth of our bilateral ties," he added.

PM's engagements
The prime minister is due to deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the second Belt and Road Forum on Friday, according to various media reports.

He will also attend a 'Leaders' Roundtable' with representatives from around 38 countries, Radio Pakistan reported.

PM Imran will also hold discussions with several heads of state and government, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, as well as corporate and business leaders on the sidelines of the Forum, the national broadcaster added.

The two countries are set to sign several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and agreements "to enhance bilateral cooperation in diverse areas", the publication said.

The premier is also set to address a Pakistan Business and Investment Forum on Sunday, which is expected to be attended by several prominent Pakistani and Chinese businessmen.

Additionally, he will take part in the Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition alongside other world leaders.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1478336/pm-imran-reaches-beijing-for-second-official-visit-of-china

 

[Bewal Express]

There is no doubt opportunities are there for PK business but do we have the capacity to take them after years of neglect?

 

[Savak]

Rumours are that this is the trip to seek Chinese permission to disclose the details of Chinese Loans to Pakistan to IMF officials. IMF will be having its next round of meetings with Pakistani in China.

 

[Mamoon]

How many slip of tongues in China? I haven’t been able to follow the news today. However, I hear that he claimed that his government planted 5 billion trees in KP.

KP is approx. 101,741 km².

So if they have planted 5,000,000,000 trees, that means that there are around 49,000 trees per km².

If that were remotely true, KP would be a rainforest now. Perhaps, the trees haven’t grown yet so maybe we should invest in machetes to cut through the rainforest that we will soon be living in.

By the time his government will be done, we will be living like monkey swaying through the branches.

This man has become a walking meme. Every time he opens his mouth, he goofs up. He thinks the Chinese are stupid who will buy stuff like this.

Well, no big deal. Another “slip of tongue”. He “probably” meant 1 billion.

 

[slipcatch]

How many slip of tongues in China? I haven’t been able to follow the news today. However, I hear that he claimed that his government planted 5 billion trees in KP.

KP is approx. 101,741 km².

So if they have planted 5,000,000,000 trees, that means that there are around 49,000 trees per km².

If that were remotely true, KP would be a rainforest now. Perhaps, the trees haven’t grown yet so maybe we should invest in machetes to cut through the rainforest that we will soon be living in.

By the time his government will be done, we will be living like monkey swaying through the branches.

This man has become a walking meme. Every time he opens his mouth, he goofs up. He thinks the Chinese are stupid who will buy stuff like this.

Well, no big deal. Another “slip of tongue”. He “probably” meant 1 billion.

Your cult's infatuation with Imran Khan is worrisome.

And your cult love for so called competent leader who can't wait to leave Pakistan to get treated is more worrisome.

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Prime Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ImranKhanPTI</a> suggested 5 initiatives to World at Second Belt & Road Forum<br><br>• 100 Billion trees in next 2 years<br>• Establish BRI Tourism Corridor<br>• Establish office of Anti-Corruption Cooperation<br>• Create Poverty Alleviation Fund<br>• Liberalise trade & investment <a href="https://t.co/VIAn86HCs3">pic.twitter.com/VIAn86HCs3</a></p>— PTI (@PTIofficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/PTIofficial/status/1121704974273138688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Abdullah719]

PM Khan calls for tackling climate change, poverty as Pakistan, China enter next CPEC phase

Prime Minister Imran Khan, in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Friday, called for greater attention to tackling climate change and poverty as Pakistan and China enter the next phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The prime minister appreciated the significance of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), saying it "marks a new and distinct phase in the onward march of nations in the world along the path of globalisation".

"The presence of so many world leaders today is proof that we choose hope over despair and cooperation over confrontation. 122 states and 49 international organisations have signed onto the BRI's vision and this is a historic and monumental development," he pointed out.

"The BRI offers a model of partnership, collaboration, connectivity and shared prosperity," the prime minister told the audience. "Pakistan is proud to have partnered with China in this transformative endeavour. We have been among BRI's earliest and most enthusiastic proponents," he said.

"The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, one of the BRI's major components ─ and one of its earliest manifestations ─ has made substantial progress. Pakistan's energy supplies have increased massively, critical infrastructure gaps are being plugged, Gwadar ─ once a small fishing village ─ is transforming rapidly into a commercial hub. The Gwadar airport will be the largest in our country," he told his audience.

He informed the audience that special economic zones being set up along the CPEC offer investment opportunities for Pakistani, Chinese and foreign entrepreneurs, and invited interested parties to "avail Pakistan's liberal foreign investment regime and participate in our economy; in particular infrastructure, railways, dams, IT and manufacturing."

"Together, Pakistan and China are entering the next phase of CPEC, with greater emphasis on socioeconomic uplift," he said, adding that the next phase would be "supplemented" by the signing of an expanded Pakistan-China Free Trade Agreement.

He added that Pakistan wants to promote cooperation with China in agriculture, health and education, and called for joint efforts towards addressing impediments on the way to sustainable growth.

The prime minister said that Pakistan and China are entering the next phase of CPEC and are focusing on socio-economic uplift, poverty alleviation, agricultural cooperation and industrial development.

"We are changing Pakistan's economic landscape and, God willing, the destiny of our people. I want to thank China and its leadership for their unwavering support for Pakistan," he said.

Prime Minister Imran suggested that, as the BRI takes on a more concrete shape, world leaders direct their efforts and focus onto the people of their countries by addressing impediments in the path towards sustainable growth.


He suggested collaboration on five points: mitigating the adverse effects of climate change by launching an ambitious tree-planting project; establishing a BRI tourism corridor; establishing an office for anti-corruption cooperation; creating a poverty alleviation fund; further trade liberalisation and encouraging private sector investment.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1478521/p...verty-as-pakistan-china-enter-next-cpec-phase

 

[gazza619]

I feel sorry for IK, there is so much in his plate. He is trying...but is getting failed by his team...

I wonder what the future holds.

 

[King-Misbah]

I feel sorry for IK, there is so much in his plate. He is trying...but is getting failed by his team...

I wonder what the future holds.

He will eventually succeed in shallah. He was born to eventaully win In Khan, we trust!

 

[Hyperion66]

Upon arrival in Beijing, the prime minister was received by Deputy Secretary-General of the Beijing Municipal Committee of CPPCC, Li Lifeng, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Yao Jing, and Ambassador of Pakistan to China, Masood Khalid.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1478336/pm-imran-reaches-beijing-for-second-official-visit-of-china

 

[Zhasan]

I feel sorry for IK, there is so much in his plate. He is trying...but is getting failed by his team...

I wonder what the future holds.

Imran the cricket captain would not have been half as effective without an able rather extraordinary 2nd in command or as in US military parlance, an officer without a Sergeant.

So, what Imran urgently needs is a ideological, selfless, hard task master in the mold of Miandad, who can command respect of the proletariat by the power of his own character and at the same time drive home all the initiatives.

 

[WebGuru]

Several head of states arrived in China for this event so it's not possible for China to send their head of state or important ministers to receive everyone on airport (they are busy with their event). Even in Putin arrival video i didn't see Xi Jinping : )

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YU2GUaoNHrI" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Hyperion66]

Several head of states arrived in China for this event so it's not possible for China to send their head of state or important ministers to receive everyone on airport (they are busy with their event). Even in Putin arrival video i didn't see Xi Jinping : )

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YU2GUaoNHrI" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Even Tajik president was received by the Premier of the State Council not some insignificant city municipality official, small things like these indicate how much they value and respect your friendship. Anyways I don't want to sour the mood here, just sharing my opinion.

 

[Zeeraq]

Pakistan, China to revive cooperation for investment promotion

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China agreed on Friday to revive cooperation between the Chinese Investment Promotion Agency (CIPA) and the Board of Investment (BoI) to ensure investment promotion in prioritised sectors of information technology, textiles and agro-based products.

BoI Chairman Haroon Sharif, who is in Beijing as part of prime minister’s delegation to participate in the second Belt and Road Forum, met Liu Dianxun, Director-General of Investment Promotion Agency of the Chinese ministry of commerce, and discussed the revival of a memorandum of understanding signed between BoI and CIPA in the past. Both sides agreed to revive the cooperation.

Mr Sharif informed CIPA Chief Dianxun that BoI would encourage Chinese investors for investment as Pakistan was planning to develop new special economic zones in addition to already notified seven special economic zones.

“The development of Rashakai special economic zones is a milestone and a first step towards implementation of industrial cooperation under CPEC. Industrial cooperation was prioritised by the present government with a goal to start implementation of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) this year,” Mr Sharif informed his Chinese counterpart.

He said that BOI had received concrete investment proposals from local and foreign investors who were interested in investing in Pakistan’s priority sectors having immense potential for investment; agro-based food and industry, value-added textile, tourism and hospitality, information technology sector, light engineering, and logistics.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1478643/pakistan-china-to-revive-cooperation-for-investment-promotion

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Prime Minister Imran Khan along with Pakistani Delegation calls on President of China Mr. Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People at Beijing. Delegation level talks were held during the meeting. &#55356;&#56821;&#55356;&#56816;&#55356;&#56808;&#55356;&#56819;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PMImranKhanInChina?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PMImranKhanInChina</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PakChinaBrotherhood?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PakChinaBrotherhood</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PakChinaFriendship?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PakChinaFriendship</a> <a href="https://t.co/BbYe4kLFNN">pic.twitter.com/BbYe4kLFNN</a></p>— Govt of Pakistan (@pid_gov) <a href="https://twitter.com/pid_gov/status/1122359650941382656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Abdullah719]

Huawei CEO expresses interest in 'heavy investment' during meeting with PM Imran in Beijing

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday met the founder and chief executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei, Ren Zhengfei, in Beijing, who expressed his interest in making "heavy investment" in Pakistan, according to a statement by the Ministry of Planning.

Huawei has already set up a regional service centre in Pakistan, the statement notes, adding that 600 IT professionals are presently working there.

The prime minister also met with representatives of other leading Chinese firms, who pledged large-scale private sector investment in Pakistan.

The CEOs of Rainbow Agritech Group, Challenge Apparel, Li & Fin Corporation, and Foton cars were among the business leaders who met the premier, according to the planning ministry handout.

Board of Investment (BoI) Chairman Haroon Sharif and Advisor to PM on Commerce and Industry Abdul Razak Dawood were also present during the meetings. The prime minister directed the BoI chairman to remove any hurdles faced by investors and ensure that they are facilitated on a priority basis.

Multiple new memoranda of understanding were inked with various Chinese firms to further cooperation in diverse fields, the details of which are as under:

1. China Railway Construction Corporation (International) Limited and Fastrack Silverlink (Pvt) Ltd in conducting railway cargo business
2. Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of Pakistan and China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) Ltd under the Clean Green Pakistan movement
3. MOU for setting-up the first cloud centre in Pakistan for the finance and media industry in collaboration with Huawei Technologies and Airlink Communication
4. Theatrical distribution agreement between M&D Films Pakistan and Fire International Media of China for release of the film 'Parwaz Hay Junoon' in China
5. Framework investment agreement between China-Pak Energy Investment (Suzhou) Co Ltd, Sinohydro Corporation Ltd and Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (PEDO) of KP government for Toren More Kari hydro power project (350 MW) in Chitral and Jameshill Toren More hydropower project in KP
6. Joint investment agreement with Beijing Jingneng Power Co Ltd, Power China International Group Limited and Oracle Power PLC for 2x600 MW Thar Coal Based Power Project at Thar Block VI, Sindh (CPEC Project)
7. Cooperation agreement of renewable energy with Power China International Group Limited and Atlas Power Limited
8. Signing of a joint venture with Sansheng Group for development of Industrial Zone in Pakistan
9. Mou for establishment of Agri platform at Qingdao Cit
10. Mou for Bei Da Huang Group and JW SEZ Group Pakistan
11. Textile industry agreement between Shanghai Yuanyui Industry Co Ltd, China Railway 20 Co Pakistan (Private) Limited, Board of Investment of Pakistan and Pak China Investment Company Limited
12. Agreement for modern agriculture comprehensive development between China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) and Government of Balochistan
13. Signing of financial agreement between HUBCO and Thalnova for development of 330 MW coal fired power plant in Thar Block 2.
14. MOU for joint venture of K-Electric 700MW Coal Based Power Project in Partnership with CMEC
15. MOU for Modern Agriculture Comprehensive Development Project with Fatima Group Co Ltd
16. Agreement between China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zone Development and Management Company, Pakistan (KPEZDMC)

https://www.dawn.com/news/1478981/h...tment-during-meeting-with-pm-imran-in-beijing