ISLAMABAD, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said on Saturday that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has created new avenues for development and livelihood in the country's northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region.
Speaking at a ceremony in the region, Zardari said that CPEC is enhancing trade, connectivity and economic opportunities for local communities.
"CPEC has brought new opportunities for livelihood, trade and connectivity to GB. Our collective task is to ensure that these opportunities reach every valley and every village, creating shared prosperity for all," he said.
The president said the government is committed to further promoting inclusive growth in the region by improving infrastructure and social development.
He highlighted the strategic importance of GB as a gateway to Central and South Asia and said its progress would contribute to regional economic integration.
Launched in 2013, CPEC, a flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, is a corridor linking Gwadar Port in Pakistan with Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which highlights energy, transport, and industrial cooperation in the first phase, while in the new phase, it expands to fields of agriculture and livelihood, among others.
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