ISLAMABAD/BEIJING - Pakistan has identified thirteen priority sectors for enhancing export oriented industry and encouraged Chinese top companies in these sectors to make investment in Pakistan. A joint statement issued at the culmination of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China said that Chinese side welcomed Pakistan to expand exports to China. Both countries put great emphasis on industrial cooperation under the framework of high-quality CPEC development and the two sides signed the Action Plan for Framework Agreement on Industrial Cooperation under CPEC in this regard.
The two sides recognized that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has been a pioneering project of the Belt and Road Initiative. After the successful first decade of CPEC, the two sides are committed to carrying out the eight major steps for supporting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. It was reaffirmed that upgradation of ML-I is an important project under the CPEC framework and is of strategic significance to Pakistan’s socio-economic development.
Both sides recognized that the Karakoram Highway (Raikot-Thakot) realignment project is of great significance for the smooth operation of the only land-based channel between Pakistan and China. Pakistan and China agreed to advance upgradation of the inspection infrastructure of the Khunjerab-Sost pass so as to realize the all year-round function of the pass at an early date. Recognizing the significance of Gwadar Port as an important node in .