Beijing: Pakistan and China Saturday signed 19 agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to further boost the bilateral ties between the two countries. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang in Beijing, Dawn online reported citing the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Federal Ministers Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Ahsan Iqbal, and Special Assistant to the PM on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi were also present at the meeting.
The agreements include solar power production at Quaid-e Azam Solar Park, easy loan for laying optic fibre between the two countries, mining of 6,500,000 metric tonnes of coal in Thar Block-2, a 870 MW Sukhi Kinari hydropower project, a 1320 MW Sahiwal power project, a MoU for a 100 MW Jhimpir wind power project and an industrial park in Faisalabad.
The two countries also inked an agreement for economic and technical cooperation. After the meeting, Sharif expressed confidence that his visit to China will help resolve the energy crisis in the country, adding that his government is committed to addressing the energy shortage permanently.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was due to visit Pakistan in September, but he called off his trip due to political protests in Islamabad. (IANS)
