Pak-China friendship group, envoy agree to enhance parliamentary exchanges

ISLAMABAD: Members of the Pakistan-China Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Senate and Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing Thursday agreed on enhanced parliamentary exchanges between the two countries to further boost their historic bilateral relations.

The meeting of the friendship group was held at the Parliament House with Senator Saleem Mandviwala chairing the meeting and was attended by Senators Taj Afridi, Seher Kamran, Daud Achakzai, Kalsoom Parveen and Sassui Palijo, Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General Ayesha Ahsan, said a press release.

Both sides agreed on the importance of taking parliamentarians into confidence on the developments on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

The Chinese ambassador appreciated the idea of regular interactions with the members of friendship group as well as with senators from the provinces, who were a vital part of the CPEC.

Ayesha Ahsan gave a comprehensive briefing on the political system of China, Pakistan-China bilateral relations, parliamentary exchanges, economic and trade relations, developments in the free trade agreement between the two countries, direct foreign investment, work on the CPEC and the way forward for enhanced interactions.

The briefing was followed by an interactive question and answer session in which senators asked pertinent questions, which were responded to by the ambassador.

Senator Mandviwala stressed upon bridging the gap of information that lay among different stakeholders on the development and scope of the CPEC. Regular interaction would diminish the doubts that arose due to uncertainty, he added.