PM reaches Shanghai to attend China International Import Expo

SHANGHAI: Prime Minister Imran Khan has reached Shanghai to attend the China International Import Expo (CIIE).

The prime minister will address the opening ceremony of the Expo as keynote speaker on Monday. Vice Mayor of Shanghai Peng Chenlei received the prime minister upon arrival here.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Minister for Finance Asad Umar, Minister for Planning Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Adviser to PM on Commerce Abdul Razzak Dawood and Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan are accompanying the Prime Minister.

Addressing a function at Central Party School in Beijing, the prime minister said the main priority of PTI led government is to strengthen state institutions in order to improve governance and tackle the corruption.

He appreciated the efforts of China on lifting 700 million people out of poverty in a short span of three decades. He said poverty alleviation is also an important goal for us and we want to learn the steps the Chinese took in order to improve the socio-economic status of its populace.

Imran Khan said Chinese have tackled the menace of corruption very effectively and we would like to benefit from their experience of overcoming white collar crime.

Terming China Pakistan Economic Corridor a great blessing for Pakistan, the prime minister said this mega project will change the outlook of the country in the coming years. He encouraged the Chinese investors to invest in the Special Economic Zones under CPEC.

He said Pakistan needs foreign investment to bridge its trade deficit. He said during his meetings with Chinese leaders and business executives, he feels confident that we will get out of our financial impasse soon.

The premier said there is immense scope of cooperation between the two countries in various sectors. He said learning about the Chinese strategies in urban planning can be helpful for us as cities in Pakistan are growing fast.