ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said that the economic and cultural connections between the people of China and Pakistan are strong and focused.

In a video message ahead of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China, he said that a delegation comprising of one hundred and twenty six Pakistani businessmen is also visiting China.

“China has an important role in Pakistan’s development. It has always helped Pakistan in difficult times,” he added.

He said there is a big opportunity for us to export the country’s products to neighboring China, adding, Pakistani business delegation will sign investment and export agreements with their Chinese counterparts during the visit.

The Minister for Planning also recalled that the first phase of CPEC focused on infrastructure development, adding, this also provided two hundred thousand job opportunities to the youth.

Ahsan Iqbal said the government is focusing all its efforts on ensuring high growth rate on sustainable basis.

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Earlier,  Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed the hope that his five-day visit to China starting Tuesday would take the bilateral relationship to a new height as it would mark discussions on the CPEC second phase, business-to-business cooperation and government-to-government projects.