Pakistan PM Visits China with Trade High on Agenda

　　Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is set to kick start his official visit to China later on today.

 

　　As CRI's Su Yi reports, trade and energy cooperation trade and the environment are expected to dominate the week-long visit.

 

　　Related: QA with Pakistan's Former Foreign Secretary

 

　　The proposed economic corridor linking the strategic Gwadar Port with the western Chinese region of Xinjiang is expected to top Sharif's agenda in Beijing.

 

　　The corridor was proposed by Chinese Premier¹ Li Keqiang during his most recent trip to Pakistan last month.

 

　　Wang Xu is assistant to the director at the centre for South Asian studies at Peking University.

 

　　He says the project, once completed, is going to benefit people on both sides.

 

　　"First, the project can strengthen Sino-Pakistan trade ties and help Pakistan to overcome some economic problems it's facing right now, including energy and power shortages. Second, it will help China integrate economically with South Asian and Middle East countries. Because the corridor takes off from Kashgar in Xinjiang and it ends in Southern Pakistan, the Port of Gwadar and Karachi. So this is going to drive the development of western China."

 

　　The corridor consists of a series of special economic zones, on top of a rail link and a pipeline² providing China access to the Indian Ocean.

 

　　During his 6-day trip here in China, Sharif is also going to discuss clean energy cooperation with Chinese officials.

 

　　Wang Dehua is from the South Asia and Central Asian Studies centre at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies.

 

　　"China and Pakistan have already reached agreements on hydro power stations, thanks to China's experience on our Three Gorges³ Dam project. The two countries can also deepen cooperation on solar, wind, and bio power and other renewable energy fields. Besides, China is developing technologies that process coal to crude oil, and Pakistan has fair amount of coal reserves, so we've got huge potential in this area as well."

 

　　This is Nawaz Sharif's first foreign trip since assuming office last month.

 

　　For CRI, I'm Su Yi.

1 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

2 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

3 gorges   

n.山峡，峡谷( gorge的名词复数 )；咽喉v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的第三人称单数 )；作呕

参考例句：

• The explorers were confronted with gorges(that were)almost impassable and rivers(that were)often unfordable. 探险人员面临着几乎是无路可通的峡谷和常常是无法渡过的河流。 来自辞典例句
• We visited the Yangtse Gorges last summer. 去年夏天我们游历了长江三峡。 来自辞典例句