Hopes for another $6b

BEIJING: Prime Minister Imran Khan held meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Great Hall of the People here on Friday.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said that his government was keen to learn from China’s experience in poverty alleviation and anti-corruption.

Imran Khan said that he had followed President Xi as a statesman during his political carrier spanning over 22 years.

The prime minister said that he had watched other leaders of the world but he and his country were very impressed the way China had progressed under President Xi Jinping.

Imran Khan lauded President Xi and other Chinese leadership for bringing down poverty in China and taking 700 million people out of poverty in 30 years.

Appreciating President Xi and other Chinese leadership, he remarked that no other nation in human history had been able to achieve this success.

He said that the main goal of his party and the government was to take people of Pakistan out of poverty as half of the population in the country was either on the poverty line or below it, adding, “China is the one country from which we can learn.”

Prime Minister Imran Khan said the way leadership of President Xi had tackled the menace of corruption was appreciable and said, “No other nation has held so many powerful people accountable for the corruption as China did in last five years.”

He said that his government and party wanted to learn from China in this area because white collar crime was very difficult to detect.

“It is easy to catch low level criminals but it is much more challenging to expose white collar crime which actually devastates a country,” he added.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Imran Khan thanked President Xi for extending warm hospitality to him and his delegation in China.

Prime Minister Imran Khan also extended an invitation to President Xi for a visit to Pakistan. During the meeting, Prime Minister Imran Khan informed Chinese President about the economic crisis of Pakistan.

In his remarks, President Xi Jinping said that relations between China and Pakistan had already been growing and now these relations touched new heights.

“These relations have not only benefited the two all-weather strategic partners but the region and world,” he added.

He said that China was ready to work together with the new government under Prime Minister Imran Khan to build a community of shared destiny for mankind.

The Chinese president said that China respected Pakistan’s sovereignty and also assured his complete support to the new government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Asad Umar, Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Minister for Planning Makhdoom Khusro Bukhtiar, Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razzak Dawood, Chief Minister of Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan and Pakistan Ambassador to China Masood Khalid were also present during the meeting.

Earlier, President Xi Jinping warmly welcomed Prime Minister Imran Khan and his delegation upon their arrival at the Great Hall of the People.

Meanwhile, Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that Pakistan is likely to get a huge economic assistance package from China.

The federal minister spoke to media about the ongoing visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China.

In the meeting, the two sides discussed strengthening of bilateral relations and matters of mutual regional and international interests, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. They also reviewed all the aspects of Pakistan-China strategic partnership.

“The nation will receive a good news soon,” he said, adding that the economic package will help alleviate Pakistan’s fiscal crisis.

Fawad Chaudhry said that PM Imran’s meeting with the Chinese president was successful. “My party has only been in power for two months. Unfortunately we have inherited a very difficult economic situation,” PM Imran said.

“Countries go in cycles. They have their high points, they have their low points. Unfortunately, our country is going through a low point at the moment with two very big deficits, a fiscal deficit and a current account deficit. And so we, as I’ve said, have come to learn.”

“I attach great importance to China-Pakistan relations and am willing to work together with the prime minister to strengthen the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic partnership and build a new era of China-Pakistan destiny,” Xi said.

Pakistan is expected to receive $6 billion economic package from China during PM Imran’s visit, the sources said. A loan of $1.5 billion and a grant of $1.5 billion are expected to be offered, along with an additional package of $3 billion for CPEC. As much as $1.5 billion are expected to be deposited in the State Bank of Pakistan, while Pakistan Railways may also be included in the package.