China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has generated thousands of jobs for Pakistani citizens, according to Chairman of the Pakistan-China Institute (PCI).

Speaking at PCI-convened online conference on Wednesday, Mushahid Hussain, who is also the Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee, Pakistan Senate, said 75,000 Pakistanis have got jobs in BRI projects, adding that energy and infrastructure projects have been completed on schedule, and CPEC has entered its second phase.

The first-ever Non-Governmental Online Conference on BRI had participants from Pakistan, China, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, according to PCI's media statement on the conference.

Jayanath Colombage, Additional Secretary to President of Sri Lanka on Foreign Relations and Director General of Institute of National Security Studies rejected the 'Debt Trap' theory regarding Sri Lanka, according to the statement. He noted that out of Sri Lanka's total debt of $57 billion, only $8.5 billion was owed to China.

Former Chinese Vice Minister Ai Ping underlined people-people connectivity, noting that during the COVID-19 crisis, 60 Chinese NGOs organised 40 online events aimed at sharing information and experiences.

Other speakers included Janan Musazai, Former Afghanistan's Ambassador to Pakistan; Shahriar Zaman Shuman; Secretary General of Bangladesh-China Peoples Friendship Association; Yerman Mukhtar, of the Kazakh parliament's committee on foreign affairs, Defense and Security; Sandar Min, Chair of the Finance Committee of Parliament of Myanmar; Shubha Shankar Kandel, Chairman - Centre for Asian Policy Research & Studies and Editor in Chief - ABC News Television, Nepal; Huang Youyi; Former Member of National Committee of the CPPCC and Sr. Research Fellow of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies and Kalyan Raj Sharma, Chairman - Friends of Silk Road Nepal & Nepal-China Friendship Forum.

(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@refinitiv.com)

#China-PakistanEconomicCorridor(CPEC) #BeltandRoadInitiative(BRI) #Employment #Energy #Infrastructure

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