By Meredith Chen/SCMP
Islamabad, October 16: Chinese Premier Li Qiang reiterated China’s pledge to upgrade a multibillion-dollar economic corridor with Pakistan and deepen joint counterterrorism efforts with its military as he arrived in Islamabad on Monday.
Li, who is on his first visit to the South Asian country as premier, will be attending a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation heads of government meeting in the Pakistani capital during his four-day trip.
“China is willing to work with Pakistan, focusing on establishing an upgraded version of the CPEC,” Li told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a flagship project under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, with more than US$65 billion pledged for projects in Pakistan as of 2022.
Formally announced in 2013, the 3,000km (1,864-mile) route of infrastructure projects aims to connect landlocked western China to the Arabian Sea via Pakistan’s deep sea Gwadar Port.
Earlier, Li and Sharif inaugurated the Beijing-funded New Gwadar International Airport in a televised virtual ceremony.
China’s Li Qiang inaugurates Beijing-funded airport in Pakistan ahead of SCO summit
The Chinese premier described the airport as a key facility for the Gwadar Port to become a regional connectivity hub and an important symbol of the further deepening of the construction of the CPEC.
Gwadar lies on the southwestern coast of the Pakistani province of Balochistan, near the Iranian border, where there has been a long-running insurgency.
“We aim to accelerate the construction of major projects in areas such as railways, roads and ports, and strengthen industrial integration,” Li said.
He also pledged to “deepen practical cooperation in agriculture, mining, information technology and energy, ensuring that the results of China-Pakistan cooperation benefit the people more broadly”.
Sharif said that the Gwadar International Airport marked “another symbolic representation” of the friendship between Pakistan and China, and the new facility would “fully unleash the hub functions” of Gwadar Port, bringing “unprecedented” development opportunities to Pakistan.
Later in the day, Li met Pakistani military leaders, telling them that China hoped to deepen counterterrorism cooperation towards jointly safeguarding peace and stability.
Military leaders present at the meeting were Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Pakistan Army Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, Chief of Naval Staff Naveed Ashraf and Chief of Air Staff Zaheer Ahmad Babar.
Pakistan has sought to bolster security for thousands of Chinese workers in Pakistan following a surge in militant violence targeting Chinese nationals and Chinese-funded belt and road megaprojects.
Security fears spiked ahead of Li’s visit, after a deadly attack on Chinese nationals near Jinnah International Airport in the southern city of Karachi.
Two Chinese workers were killed and several others were injured in the attack claimed by the separatist militant group Baloch Liberation Army, a group that has targeted Chinese interests in Pakistan before.
Li told Sharif: “We hope that Pakistan will continue to provide a favourable business environment for Chinese enterprises and fully ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, institutions, and projects in Pakistan.
“China firmly supports Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts and is willing to actively promote counterterrorism cooperation, helping Pakistan to strengthen its counterterrorism capacity building.”
Sharif once again expressed “deep condolences” for the Chinese victims in the latest attack and pledged to “make every effort to apprehend the perpetrators” and enhance counterterrorism measures.
Li’s visit is the latest high-level exchange this year as China and Pakistan mark the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Sharif visited China in June for a five-day trip that included a meeting with President Xi Jinping. A joint statement following the meeting also pledged to build “an upgraded version” of the CPEC, with the new phase featuring the key themes of “growth, livelihood, innovation, green, and openness”.
Islamabad has implemented strict security measures for the 23rd Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government starting on Tuesday.
SCO is a regional economic and security bloc largely driven by China and Russia that has seen its remit grow in the two decades or so since its formation.
All 10 SCO members, including China, Russia, India and Iran will be attending the two-day meeting under the chairmanship of Pakistan. The annual meeting focuses on the trade and economic agenda of the organisation.
Meredith Chen
Meredith Chen joined the Post in 2023 and covers China politics and diplomacy. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Hong Kong. Previously, she had stints with both international and Chinese-language media outlets, focusing on affairs in Asia.
