Honorable Minister Liu Jianchao, 

H.E. Ambassador Jiang Zaidong, 

Representatives of Pakistan’s political parties, 

Distinguished Guests, 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Assalam-o-alaikum, Greetings of peace, and Da jia Hao!

On behalf of the Government and people of Pakistan as well as the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and all political parties of Pakistan, I extend a very warm welcome to H.E. Mr. Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of Communist Party of China. 

I had the pleasure of meeting Minister Liu last month, during my visit to China for the 5th Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue. We held fruitful discussions on issues of mutual interest.

I was extremely impressed by Minister Liu’s deep insights into regional and international developments, and their profound impact on Pakistan-China relations.

During our meeting, I also invited H.E. Liu Jianchao to visit Pakistan, and I am delighted that he graciously accepted my invitation, giving us an opportunity to extend to him our rich hospitality and special warmth, that we reserve for our Chinese brethren.

Minister Liu’s presence in Pakistan demonstrates the consensus of our two countries’ leadership to maintain high-level exchanges and deepen strategic mutual trust.

I am confident that his visit will further strengthen the enduring bonds of fraternity, trust and cooperation between our two great nations.

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

This Joint Consultative Mechanism of Political Parties under CPEC is a unique platform, reinforcing two key messages about Pakistan-China relationship:

First, that CPEC constitutes a vital pillar of our bilateral economic and strategic partnership.

Second, that there is a complete unanimity among all political parties of Pakistan on CPEC’s salience for Pakistan’s economic growth and sustainable development.

Excellencies,

CPEC is not merely a symbol of Pakistan-China friendship; it is a shining emblem of a new vision for international cooperation. Founded and nurtured on the concept of win-win partnership, CPEC has catalyzed Pakistan’s endeavors towards sustainable development, socio-economic prosperity and regional connectivity.

We are proud that we are the first country where China launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, under the great leadership of President Xi Jinping. I have fond memories of welcoming President Xi in 2015, when our two countries formally launched the CPEC and signed a record number of MoU’s and agreements to mark a new era in Pakistan-China bilateral cooperation.

Being a part of the team that launched and navigated the CPEC through half of its first phase, I must take a moment here to acknowledge China’s critical support to Pakistan through investments in the infrastructure and energy projects of CPEC.

These investments came at a time when Pakistan was struggling to find support from other international development partners and financial institutions.

Through CPEC, we were able to steer Pakistan to a period of significant economic growth. We overcame power outages; expanded our roads and highways network; developed Pakistan’s first mass transit system and generated hundreds of thousands of new employment opportunities for our people.

The government, the political parties and the people of Pakistan will never forget China's support in those crucial times.

Now, we are witnessing the high-quality development of CPEC Phase-II. In this regard, the Prime Minister’s recent visit to China was significant on several accounts.

First, it saw our two countries’ leaderships renewing consensus on the up-gradation of CPEC.

Second, the visit was marked by landmark decisions and understandings between the two sides; close to two dozen bilateral G2G documents and a substantial number of B2B MoU’s and agreements were signed in it.

Third, we launched a ground-breaking initiative that forges joint ventures and partnerships for investments in Pakistan’s key priority sectors.

Fourth, we signed the modalities of third party participation in CPEC projects, unveiling a new horizon for regional connectivity, economic integration and prospects of shared prosperity ‘in the new era’. 

To launch the second generation of CPEC projects, we are prioritizing industry, modern agriculture, IT and mining & minerals. Together with this, we are committed to further enhancing people-to-people linkages to deepen the sentiments of mutual respect, trust and understanding.

The convening of today’s forum, the participation of Pakistan’s all major political parties and the presence of Honorable Liu Jianchao is a manifestation of our shared commitment to preserve and protect Pakistan-China relationship from the vagaries of national, regional and international politics.

Ladies & Gentlemen,

Today marks an important occasion as this is the first time that this Mechanism is being hosted by Pakistan. On this auspicious occasion, I congratulate all my colleagues representing various political parties of Pakistan.

Let us join our voices and collectively pledge our strongest support to the CPEC and its up-gradation to the next phase. Our unequivocal and unwavering commitment to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor promises a lasting benefit for the present and future of our people.

I wish to recall here the famous quote of our founding father, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who said, "With faith, discipline and selfless devotion to duty, there is nothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve." Let us be guided by these words to strengthen Pakistan-China relations and ensure the full realization of CPEC.

Let us reaffirm today that Pakistan-China friendship is a relationship of the past, the present and the future. Our friendship is a historic reality and the conscious choice of our two peoples.

We have stood by each other in weal and woe, through thick and thin, evolving our friendship into an All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership. Our strategic trust is unshakable and nothing can undo it.

I am confident that the discussions and deliberations today will further fortify the CPEC and Pakistan-China iron-brotherhood.

Long-live Pakistan-China Friendship

Thank you and XieXie!