Beijing
\nFederal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal, met with Mr. Lu Hao, President of China\u00eds Development Research Center (DRC) and Centre for International Knowledge on Development (CIKD).
\nDuring the meeting, both sides discussed further strengthening economic cooperation between Pakistan and China.
\nMinister Ahsan Iqbal stated that strong economic collaboration between Pakistan and China is key to national development.
\nHe remarked that CPEC has transformed the everlasting friendship between Pakistan and China from political cooperation into a comprehensive economic and social partnership.
\nHe emphasized that Pakistan is eager to learn from China\u00eds economic and reform successes, and termed China\u00eds scientific planning as a guiding light for achieving long-term and sustainable development.
\nThe Minister noted that under the Uraan Pakistan program, the country\u00eds economy is moving toward stability, with the target of becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2035.
\nHe further stated that all indicators of Pakistan\u00eds economy are showing positive trends, a fact also acknowledged by international institutions.
\nHe mentioned that the policy rate has declined from 23% to 11%, while the Pakistan Stock Exchange has crossed 140,000 points.
\nMinister Ahsan Iqbal pointed out that China imports nearly 2 trillion dollars worth of goods annually, while Pakistan\u00eds share remains negligible.
\nHe added that Pakistan seeks to expand trade and exports with China and that gaining access to Chinese markets is a key economic objective.
\nReferring to past challenges, the Minister highlighted that political instability and lack of policy continuity had hindered the country\u00eds development process.
\nOn this occasion, Minister Lu Hao expressed confidence in Pakistan\u00eds strategy to build an export-led economy.
\nDuring the meeting, it is agreed upon to enter into a partnership and cooperation agreement between Ministry of Planning and China\u00eds Development Research Center .
\nUnder the agreement, China will support Pakistan\u00eds economic development through joint research, training programs, and expert exchanges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Beijing Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal, met with Mr. Lu Hao, President of China\u00eds Development Research Center (DRC) and Centre for International Knowledge on Development (CIKD). During the meeting, both sides discussed further strengthening economic cooperation between Pakistan and China. Minister Ahsan Iqbal stated that strong economic collaboration between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":494590,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-494589","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n