China's OBOR Forum to improve Pakistan Railways, says Saad Rafique

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Railways Saad Rafique on Friday said the flagship One Belt, One Road Forum would help Pakistan improve its connectivity sector, particularly railways.

In an interview, he said One Belt One Road (OBOR) vision of Chinese President Xi Jinping is a mega project aimed at developing a strong connectivity in the region.

The railways minister said the vision was joined by Pakistan under the umbrella of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Saad Rafique said the railway track from Karachi up to Landi Kotal, Torkham would be upgraded.

To a question, he said all the four chief ministers accompanying the prime minister on his tour to China gave a clear message to the international world that all the political parties were united on matters of national importance.

The PM is on a three-day visit to China. During his stay in Beijing, he will also hold important meetings with top Chinese leadership, particularly, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Kaqiang to further promote bilateral relations between the two friendly countries.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said Nawaz Sharif’s visit to the country and his participation in the forum will further boost the ongoing economic cooperation between the two countries.

China’s OBOR initiative has six proposed corridors and CPEC is termed as the most important corridor among them. This corridor is about securing China’s trade routes and allowing it to position itself in the Arabian Sea. Aim of OBOR is to reach out to global markets through shorter routes.