China, Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is best performing project One Bet One Road (OBOR) initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping. CPEC’s nineteen early harvest projects worth $18.5 billion were made smooth progress towards completion, said Deputy Chief of Mission at Chinese Embassy Zhao Lijian while speaking at a conference on ‘Belt and Road Initiative and CPEC’. Mr. Lijian said multi-billion dollar CPEC project, which is being jointly undertaken by Pakistan and China, prioritizes development of Gwadar, energy projects, transport infrastructure and industrial cooperation. Mr. Lijian made a special mention of progress on energy projects. He said a subsequent 660MW unit of Sahiwal Coal-fired Power Plant has completed its test run and is ready for inauguration. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the first unit of Sahiwal plant. With the commission of the second unit, the whole plant would be giving an output of 1320 MW. The Chinese diplomat said that Port Qasim Coal-fired Power Plant also needs to be completed be completed this year, while three wind farms in Sindh were also nearing completion. Meanwhile, Mr. Lijian said, the bidding process for Eastbay Expressway, which would link Gwadar Port with main national highway network, was in the final stages and its groundbreaking ceremony would be performed this year. Work on Gwadar International Airport is expected to begin this year. The Grant Agreement for Gwadar Airport and Framework Accord on Eastbay Expressway was signed during PM Nawaz Sharif’s visit to China last month for attending Belt and Road Forum. Secretary Ministry of Planning, Development, and Reforms Mr. Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui said: “CPEC epitomizes a growing mutuality of interest and vision of shared politico-economic future of Pakistan and China.” He said, “effective and timely” implementation of projects was critical for overall BRI timeline. CPEC’s Project Director Mr. Hassan Daud Butt said CPEC would “speed up industrialization and urbanization of Pakistan so that it could turn into an inclusive and prosperous country”. He emphasized on the mobilization of all resources; maintaining national unity, consensus, and political stability; and doubling efforts for eradicating terrorism for timely completion of CPEC projects. The Chinese diplomat said that Port Qasim Coal-fired Power Plant also needs to be completed be completed this year, while three wind farms in Sindh were also nearing completion. Meanwhile, Mr. Logan said, the bidding process for Eastbay Expressway, which would link Gwadar Port with mine national highway network, was in the final stages and its groundbreaking ceremony would be performed this year. Work on Gwadar International Airport is expected to begin this year. The Grant Agreement for Gwadar Airport and Framework Accord on Eastbay Expressway was signed during PM Nawaz Sharif’s visit to China last month for attending Belt and Road Forum. Secretary Ministry of Planning, Development, and Reforms Mr. Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui said: “CPEC epitomizes a growing mutuality of interest and vision of shared politico-economic future of Pakistan and China.” He said, “effective and timely” implementation of projects was critical for overall BRI timeline. CPEC’s Project Director Mr. Hassan Daud Butt said CPEC would “speed up industrialization and urbanization of Pakistan so that it could turn into an inclusive and prosperous country”. He emphasized on the mobilization of all resources; maintaining national unity, consensus, and political stability; and doubling efforts for eradicating terrorism for timely completion of CPEC projects.