According to a number of media reports, on July 5, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan attended the groundbreaking ceremony of several projects in Gwadar Port. Senate President Sadiq Sangilani, a number of ministers of the Pakistani government, the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan and the envoys of many countries in Pakistan attended the meeting.
It is reported that the projects started on the same day include the infrastructure construction of the northern area of the Gwadar Port Free Zone, the Gwadar Fertilizer Plant, the Gwadar Exhibition Center, the Gwadar Animal Vaccine Factory and the Gwadar Lubricating Oil Plant.
Speaking at the ceremony, Imran Khan said the Gwadar port is becoming the key to the prosperity of Pakistan, especially the Balochistan province where the port is located. With the start of construction of the northern area of the Gwadar Port Free Zone and the landing of a number of projects, the Gwadar Port will bring new opportunities for regional trade. He said that Gwadar Port should speed up the pace of development, and the Prime Minister's Office will ensure that its development is not hindered in any way.
Bhajewa, chairman of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority, said Gwadar port transported a total of 60,000 tons of cargo in the 2020-2021 fiscal year, an increase of "hundreds of times" from 1,300 tons in the previous fiscal year. Following the launch of the Afghan entrepot trade, Iran's entrepot trade through the Gwadar port is about to begin. About 46 enterprises have been registered in the first phase of the Gwadar Free Zone, of which 12 companies are in the process of being established and 3 companies have been put into production; the second phase of the free zone will introduce a large-scale project.
On July 6, in response to a reporter's question on the itinerary of the visit to Gwadar, the Foreign Ministry said that the Chinese side was pleased that the development and construction of Gwadar Port had made new progress. Gwadar Port is a commercial cooperation project between China and Pakistan on the principle of equality and mutual benefit. With the joint efforts of both sides, the operational capacity of the Gwadar Port Area has been fully restored, the investment attraction in the free zone has been smoothly promoted, and the international transit trade has been continuously expanded. This has played a positive role in promoting local economic development, improvement of people's livelihood and regional interconnection. At the same time, Gwadar Port, as an important part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, adheres to the principles of consultation, co-construction, sharing, openness and transparency. China and Pakistan welcome any third party that supports the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to participate in Gwadar Port and other corridor projects on the basis of mutual respect, mutual benefit and consensus, and share the dividends of the Belt and Road Initiative. It is believed that with the joint efforts of all parties, Gwadar Port will achieve greater development, become a regional trade hub and industrial cooperation base, and play a greater role in promoting regional development and prosperity.
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