BEIJING, Nov 4: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday said that owing to cooperation and opportunities offered by the Chinese government and companies Pakistan would be able to get out of the present crisis.

Speaking at Central Party School here, the prime minister said “Pakistan needs investment due to its Current Account Deficit and China through China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project has given us foreign investment. They have given us an opportunity to attract investment, adding his meeting with President Xi Jinping , Premier Li Keqiang and cooperation  offered by the Chinese government. The multi-national Chinese companies has encouraged us to get out of the present economic crisis.

What China has offered to Pakistan is a great opportunity, the prime minister said, adding that CPEC was a great blessing that connected Pakistan with China and Special Economic Zones (SEZs) also contributed to the economy.

“We need investment in Pakistan more than ever because of mismanagement and corruption in the last 15 years we have also suffered owing to war on terrorism,” he said.

The prime minister said Pakistan’s relationships with China were not specifically in one area, they were multi-dimensional and Pakistan would learn from China's urbanization, environment, waste management with special focus on fighting against corruption and poverty alleviation.

Prime Minister Khan said the main concern of his government was to strengthening state institution –the strong  state institutions were guarantee to a corruption free Pakistan.  Poverty alleviation was his government's second challenge. “You cannot have a society of few rich people and a sea of poor people. You cannot have a society with too much inequality and expect you would progress.” He said that is why they were admiring China, adding that no country in human history has taken 700 million people out of poverty. The prime minister said his government was interested to carrying Chinese experience to bring Pakistanis out of poverty.

The prime minister said in 1960s Pakistan was one of the fastest developing country in Asia and its economic growth was exemplary and its first five year plan was adopted by South Korea and Malaysia. Pakistan had quality universities and the countries looked upon it like a role model.unfortunately, he said, Pakistan lost the way and what stopped Pakistan from its destination was corruption, especially of the ruling class. The country has resources but the money which should have been spent on it’s development goes in corrupt hands, he added.

The prime minister said money laundering was world's worst problem and major tactic of corruption. He said trillion of dollars were being siphoned off from developing countries to developed countries resulting in deprivation of the poor countries of their resources and foreign exchange and the ultimate sufferers were their poor people.

Pakistan, unfortunately after the mid 1980s had been suffering  from corruption, and the menace had  grown ,he said and added that in that time he was playing cricket  and after that he decided to join politics to fight against it.

“A champion is a champion who learns from his mistake, who analyzes them and corrects,” he said, adding that seven  years ago suddenly people started realizing to fight against corruption and  Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insafe (PTI) was the biggest party in Pakistan which stands for two things, building of the institutions and bringing people out of poverty.The corruption was was a white collar crime  and to curb it struggle was imperative.

He said that 30 years back China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was the same what Pakistan’s GDP is today  but the way how China changed itself the Pakistani scholars must study. Above all it was the mindset of the Chinese leadership, he added.

He said the total number of people under the poverty line in China was 30 million and their objective in next five years was to take them all out of poverty.

The prime minister said Pakistanis had strong love and affection for China and its people and Chinese. He assured China that whenever they needed Pakistan would stand shoulder to shoulder by them.

(APP)

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