KARACHI: Chinese Consul General Li Bijian on Monday said that most of the projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) have been completed while Gwadar has become more important in the region.

       China has invested in various projects including the airport, training centre and Gwadar, the envoy said during a visit to the office of Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (Kati).

       “I am happy that the power crisis in Pakistan has ended due to CPEC. The development work of Gwadar Airport is 90 per cent complete and hopefully operations will begin in 2023,” the envoy said, according to a press release issued by Kati.

       The diplomat said a hospital was also being constructed in Gwadar which was expected to become functional next year.

       CPEC is an important part of the Pak-China friendship, he highlighted.

       The envoy stressed that there were ample trade opportunities in China for Pakistani industrialists and investors. “China has a population of 500 million middle-class people which could be a big market for Pakistan,” he added.

       He said that Pakistan could export fruits and vegetables to China, while China has a larger seafood market of which Pakistani exporters could take full advantage.

       In addition, cooperation between the two countries in the field of IT and electric vehicles could be further enhanced.

       The Chinese envoy said the two countries could work out a strategy to increase Pakistan’s export volume through trade.

       He urged Pakistani industrialists to take advantage of the free trade agreement between the two countries.

       Kati President Salman Aslam said the economic corridor project was important for the economy of both the countries.

       Former Kati president Danish Khan said that Chinese investors should set up industries in Pakistan and stressed on the need for holding joint trade fairs with China to promote Pakistani products.

       Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2021