ISLAMABAD: Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong has said that Gwadar Port, as the pilot project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has now become a shining pearl for the region and would benefit the countries of the region.
Ambassador Rong expressed these views at various locations during his two-day visit to Gwadar, Balochistan.
He visited all major projects under the CPEC in Gwadar, including the New Gwadar International Airport Project, the China-Pak Friendship Hospital, China-Pak Technical and Vocational Institute in Gwadar, the Gwadar Eastbay Expressway Project, Gwadar Free Zone and Gwadar Port.
Rong met with Gwadar Port Authority Chairman Naseer Kashani, Gwadar Development Authority Director-General (DG) Shahzeb Kakar, General Officer Commanding, Special Security Division (GOC SSD) South Maj Gen Aamer Najam, and Pakistan Navy Western Commander Rear Admiral Jawad Ahmed.
He also attended the launching ceremony of Green Employment Scheme and Scholarship Award for excellent students of Middle School Faqeer Colony Gwadar.
During the field visit, Ambassador Rong extended the festive greetings to the workers at the construction site. He noted that the Spring Festival is coming, but the men were sticking to their posts with a common goal of speeding up the project to make the Gwadar Port a better place.
“We all know that the Spring Festival is a time for family reunions. You spend the Chinese New Year alone on the project site far from the motherland and make Gwadar your home. I’m so proud of you,” the ambassador said.
He also asked the companies in Gwadar to expedite the projects and take strict prevention and protection measures for Covid-19 pandemic and make a greater contribution to China-Pakistan friendship.
During his meeting with Maj Gen Aamer Najam and Rear Admiral Jawad Ahmed, Ambassador Rong appreciated the efforts made by the armed forces in safeguarding the CPEC projects and personnel. He underscored that safety is the premise of everything.
“Gwadar Safe City is an inalienable part of Gwadar Smart Port City, which portraits a brilliant future for Gwadar. I believe all the local people and the people of Pakistan are looking forward to this day coming at an earlier date. No one will hesitate to take the first step with a bright road ahead,” he added.
Attending the launching ceremony of Green Employment Scheme, Ambassador Rong said that the project was responding to the Prime Minister Imran Khan’s initiative for Clean Green Gwadar Movement, and China would work together with Pakistan to turn CPEC into a model green Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to protect and preserve the natural environment in the region.
While awarding scholarships to excellent students of Middle School Faqeer Colony Gwadar, Ambassador Rong said that 2021 marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations, and children were the future of the nation and the hope of Pakistan-China friendship.
He encouraged the students to cherish the opportunity, study hard, and grow up to become talents of the country and the builders of CPEC so they may carry on the time-tested friendship between Pakistan and China from generation to generation.
Ambassador Rong said that with joint efforts from both China and Pakistan, Gwadar Port, as the pilot project of the CPEC, had witnessed dramatic changes, and become a model project for maintaining production and construction while doing a good job in preventing the spread of Covid-19 throughout all BRI projects.
He reiterated that the Chinese side attached great importance to the development of Gwadar Port, and he had every good reason to believe that Gwadar would become a shining pearl of the region.
The Chinese envoy said that Gwadar would enjoy a bright future with the development of port industries, by building export processing zones based on local conditions. By developing the port, the city of Gwadar will develop as a whole, thus to become a benchmark for harmonious development, as well as a demonstration window for the success of BRI.
