Islamabad: Pakistani and Chinese officials on Monday emphasized their respective countries’ commitment to take the China-Project Economic Corridor (CPEC) project forward towards its next developmental phase, a news source reported. As per the publication, the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Yao Jing, has expressed his admiration for the structural reforms being implemented in the power sector; further acknowledging the going cooperation of the two countries in the technology, science, energy, and agriculture sectors.
The Chinese ambassador made these comments while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Energy Week, which had been arranged by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). He took the opportunity to inform the attendees at the event that CPEC would not be affected by the temporary hurdles presented by the spread of the Coronavirus. He added that the various energy projects funded by CPEC would be completed in the estimated time.
The Chairman CPEC Authority Lt. Gen (rtd) Asim Saleem Bajwa also addressed the ceremony and informed the attendees that most of the energy projects initiated under the CPEC Phase-I had been completed, and that Phase-II was currently in progress. He lauded NEPRA’s effective handling of the CPEC energy projects, and claimed that Coronavirus would not disrupt the work being done on Phase-II.
The chairman further stated that the
government planned on utilising Thar coal for cheap energy, after converting it
to liquid and transporting it out of Thar. He added that the work on the Western
Route of CPEC was already underway and that the development of the Hyderabad-Sukkur
Motorway would be started soon to reduce the travelling time between Karachi and
Peshawar.
