Pakistan PM Sharif calls for expansion of China’s Belt and Road Initiative

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on Wednesday (Oct 16) for the expansion of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to enhance regional cooperation.

He was addressing a heads of government meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a Eurasian security and political group formed in 2001, being held in Islamabad and attended by officials from 11 countries, including host Pakistan, China, Russia and India.

“Flagship projects like the Belt and Road Initiative of President Xi Jinping … should be expanded focusing on developing road, rail and digital infrastructure that enhances integration and cooperation across our region,” Sharif said in his speech as the chair of the meeting.