BEIJING (AP) — Beijing is ready to work with Islamabad to build an upgraded version of an economic corridor linking the two countries, China’s leader said. Xi Jinping He spoke to visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday.
According to a report of the meeting posted online by state broadcaster CCTV, Sharif pledged to ensure the safety of Chinese workers in Pakistan. He reportedly expressed the government’s condolences over the deaths of five Chinese engineers in a suicide bombing in Pakistan in March who were working on a dam-building project in the South Asian country.
The Pakistani leader is nearing the end of a five-day visit, his first to China since elections in March. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor involves building and improving a road and rail system linking China’s western Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region with Pakistan’s port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea. It is part of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative to build infrastructure and expand trade around the world.
According to China Central Television (CCTV), Xi said he hopes Pakistan will ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and projects.
On the same day, President Xi met with Brazilian Vice President Gerardo Almin, who expressed hope that more Chinese companies would participate in the Brazilian government’s infrastructure plans, including railway, energy, port and airport projects.
Xi said China-Brazil relations are a model for promoting solidarity and cooperation among emerging economies. Chinese leaders have sought to strengthen ties with Brazil, Russia and several other countries to counter U.S. dominance in global affairs.
