Pakistan's envoy says Xi's APEC proposals offer path to stronger regional growth

President Xi Jinping's proposals for advancing openness and regional cooperation at last week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation economic leaders' meeting in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, have been welcomed by Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Asim Iftikhar Ahmad.

Ahmad said the speech was "visionary, instructive and timely".

He said Xi's remarks were especially meaningful at a time when "the global trade architecture, so assiduously built up over the decades with the World Trade Organization at its core, is facing unprecedented challenges."

"The five key proposals presented by President Xi are grounded in the vision of win-win cooperation and in building a community of a shared future for mankind," he told China Daily. "They offer pragmatic solutions to reinvigorate and strengthen economic globalization."

Ahmad said the president's emphasis on openness, unity and shared prosperity, not only in the Asia-Pacific but also globally, "reaffirms China's unwavering commitment to multilateralism, economic globalization and inclusive growth through deeper cooperation, reform and opening-up."

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the centerpiece of China's Belt and Road Initiative in Pakistan, is an example of a shared vision for modernization between the two countries.

Launched in 2013, the corridor connects Pakistan's Gwadar Port in Balochistan with Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The corridor initially focused on energy, transport and industrial cooperation, and has now expanded into areas such as agriculture and people's livelihoods.

"Pakistan, an important partner in China's Belt and Road Initiative, shares and supports President Xi's far-sighted vision," he said. It represents "the most viable path toward realizing the dream of shared prosperity for all," said Ahmad.

minluzhang@chinadailyusa.com