Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted on Wednesday the bilateral commitment to China, saying that the recent program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) “was not possible” without Beijing’s support.
Pakistan has maintained strong bilateral relations with China, which have supported it through many development investments and projects such as the Chinese-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which was called a “line of life” for the country’s economy.
Last month, China extended the reimbursement period of a loan of $ 2 billion to Pakistan for a year, offering a very necessary financial relief and helping to stabilize the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
The Government is working to strengthen its finances after ensuring a rescue of the IMF of $ 7 billion in September 2024. Pakistan reached an agreement at the personnel level (SLA) with the worldwide money lender in March after a successful review of the first delivery of the loan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz called China as the “most sincere friend” of the country in a ceremony in Islamabad with respect to the government’s initiative for the development of capacities of 1,000 graduates in the field of agriculture by sending them to China.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to transform the agricultural sector of Pakistan, calling it essential to achieve sustainable economic growth.
He said that strengthening the country’s agricultural backbone would help guarantee food security, increase exports and improve life for millions of farmers.
The prime minister highlighted the urgent need to revive and modernize the country’s agricultural research institutions.
“We must focus on significant agricultural practices, digitalized crops and the development of climate -resistant seeds,” he said.
Under the government initiative, 300 selected graduates The field of agriculture were sent to China for a three -month training program during the first phase. In the second phase, 400 graduates will undergo a six -month training program, followed by the remaining 300 graduates who will participate in a three -month training program in the final phase.
The prime minister congratulated the 300 young graduates, who will fly to China to train agricultural techniques and will be equipped with knowledge. I hoped that upon his return to Pakistan, they will contribute to the agricultural economy.
Speaking about his visit to China, Prime Minister Shehbaz said he was inspired by research work in several fields in the agricultural sector in Chinese universities. He said: “I decided to send 1,000 young graduates of Pakistani agriculture to benefit from this great experience.”
Chinese ambassador Jiang Zaidong said he was very inspired by government’s performance for a year where the country’s macroeconomic indicators had improved significantly.
He said that the Chinese government was ready to cooperate with Pakistan to promote bilateral relations, especially in the agricultural sector.
He stressed that the president of China, Xi Jinping, always gave great importance to his relationship with neighboring countries.
Under CPEC, China had made a direct investment of around US $ 35.4 billion, which reflects the strong relationship between the two countries, he added.
