STORY: Pakistan, China pool efforts to upgrade CPEC for socio-economic development: Pakistani expert
SHOOTING DATE: July 2, 2024
DATELINE: July 4, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:36
LOCATION: Islamabad
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Pakistan
2. SOUNDBITE (English): HASSAN DAUD BUTT, Former project director of CPEC at the then Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms

STORYLINE:

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has entered the second phase.

Pakistan and China are all set to pool efforts to reinvigorate and upgrade CPEC for socio-economic development, said Hassan Daud Butt, former project director of CPEC at the then Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms.

He added that with the completion of multiple energy and transport infrastructure projects under the first phase of CPEC, Pakistan has achieved significant economic gains.

SOUNDBITE (English): HASSAN DAUD BUTT, Former project director of CPEC at the then Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms
"CPEC has done all for social-economic development, the rural-urban synergy, some of the road connecting our rural economy with urban economy. What we are seeing now is that many rural markets, especially agriculture markets, are being connected to the cities and main areas. So, farm-to-market connectivity is getting better. We are seeing the distances between cities reducing in terms of the distance and time that it takes now for moving from one city to another. The other thing that is happening, and I see that happening is that our export to China is growing. Gwadar Port promises a great future for the blue economy. And one aspect which is critical for Pakistan in terms of its macro-economic and micro-economic development is the development of sustainable development of our boats, our blue economy, our ocean-led economy. Our blue economy is getting better through Gwadar. We want to move on step-by-step. We have done well in phase one. We will do well in phase two. For CPEC and for Pakistan, I think we are entering into an important era where Pakistan is looking for consolidating its economy. We are looking at a more eco-friendly, sustainable model of development. Pakistan wants greening of energy, maybe through renewable, through more hybrid wind solar projects. CPEC can help us in that regard."

Launched in 2013, the CPEC is a corridor linking Gwadar Port in southwest Pakistan's Balochistan province with Kashgar in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

It highlights energy, transport, and industrial cooperation in the first phase, while the new phase expands to the fields of agriculture and livelihood.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Islamabad.
(XHTV)