The Extraordinary China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the Ambitious Grand BRI
A meeting on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the Ambitious Belt Road Initiative was held on 15 May 2018 in the House of Commons, Portcullis House, MacMillan Room, London.
The meeting was organised by APPG on TWS and has been attended by many cordially invited MPs, Researchers, Lords and high Government officials of China and Pakistan. Hon. Alderman Mushtaq Lasharie, CBE Chaired this high profile meeting and Main Speakers Were:
* Kevin Hollinrake MP, Co – Chairman APPG on TWS
* Liz Twist MP, Chairwoman APPG on TWS
* Keith Bennett, Keynote Speaker, Business Consultant and political Analyst Was unable to attend because of family problem and Journalist Saundra Satterlee read his speech to participants.
* Cindy Berman, Director of Ethical Trading Initiatives
* Senator (R) Javed Jabbar, Former Minster of Information of Pakistan and writer
* H.E Syed Ibne Abbas, Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK
* Jeff Cao, Head of Asia Pacific and Economic Advisor to the Mayor of London.
Introduction to CPEC and BRI:
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is one of the Six Economic Corridors under the Belt and Road initiative of China to improve infrastructure and reduce poverty, hotbed terrorism and to provide better prospects to the area people’s life. CPEC is a US$ 62 Billion Project linking China’s Xinjiang to the Chinese built Port of Gwadar in Pakistan (Baluchistan).
CPEC believed to have the capacity to transform Pakistan and to turn the country into a developed nation, a regional Hub and a significant player in the global Economy. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) also known as the Silk Road Initiative is the biggest Global Project of the 21 Century.
Its name has been coined in 2013 by China’s President Xi JinPing and is expected to expand Maritime and Land Infrastructure Networks connecting China with Asia, Africa (linking Ethiopia’s port Djibouti) and Europe, boosting Trade and Economic growth. According to the European Bank the initiative currently involves about 70 Countries with a population of over 4.8 Billion people and covers economies worth Total US$ 21 Trillion.