BEIJING: Pakistan and China on Friday signed 23 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and agreements to deepen bilateral cooperation in various areas, including transport infrastructure, industry, energy, agriculture, media, health, water, socioeconomic development, and other areas of mutual interest.
The documents were signed following delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Chinese counterpart, Li Qiang, where they reaffirmed that the Pakistan-China Strategic Cooperative Partnership is characterized by mutual trust, shared principles, and strategic governance.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese Premier Li Qiang witnessed the ceremony as representatives from both sides signed the documents.
Among the agreements, Pakistan and China signed pacts for the co-production of films and news exchange and cooperation. The MoUs were signed between Pakistan Television Corporation and China Media Group; covering feasibility studies of the DI Khan-Zhob National Highway 50, Muzaffarabad-Mirpur-Mangla Expressway, and Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway 9; and the construction of a tunnel at Babusar on the Mansehra-Chilas National Highway.
Both sides also signed a document on modalities for third-party participation in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC); MoUs on the re-alignment of the Karakoram Highway (KKH), agricultural cooperation, and anti-monopoly cooperation; an action plan on implementing the 2022 Industrial Cooperation Framework; a protocol on surveying, mapping, and geo-information in scientific and technical fields; and a study on establishing an effective energy management system.
The two countries signed Letters of Intent for workshops on capacity building in governance and industrial park development, and a handover certificate for the Pak-China Friendship Hospital and a desalination plant in Gwadar.
Additionally, both sides signed Letters of Exchange for the reconstruction of primary schools in Sindh, the Lady Health Workers Workstations project, and the Junaco Cultivation Demonstration and Projection project, along with endorsing the agreement reached in the 7th Joint Working Group to enhance cooperation under CPEC.
Since his arrival in China on a five-day visit, the prime minister has met with Chinese investors and businesspersons to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan. During meetings and events, including a Business Forum in Shenzhen, he encouraged Chinese companies to invest and develop joint ventures.
Several MoUs have also been signed with Chinese companies in the economy, green energy, textiles, and manufacturing sectors.
Before departing for his five-day visit to China, the prime minister told Chinese media in an interview that he would engage with Chinese business leaders to secure investments and yield mutually beneficial dividends for companies on both sides.
“We are coming with serious plans. We will engage with you and return to Pakistan with great dividends that will benefit Chinese and Pakistani companies. The two countries will have their relations strengthened, reaching heights greater than the Himalayas and depths deeper than the deepest oceans,” he remarked.
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