Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasized the need for expanding China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to boost regional collaboration during a recent meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Islamabad. This meeting brought together officials from 11 countries, including China, Russia, and India.

In his speech, Sharif, who chaired the meeting, highlighted the importance of flagship projects like the BRI. He urged a focus on developing road, rail, and digital infrastructure to foster integration and cooperation throughout the region.

The BRI, initiated by China a decade ago, is a $1 trillion initiative aimed at creating global infrastructure and energy networks that connect Asia with Africa and Europe via land and maritime routes. Critics of the BRI view it as a means for China to extend its geopolitical and economic influence. In response, Western countries, under the G7 platform, unveiled a $600 billion plan last year to offer an alternative connectivity infrastructure development initiative. The BRI has also faced scrutiny for potentially leading to unsustainable debt burdens in developing nations.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a crucial part of the BRI, has attracted significant Chinese investment in Pakistan, funding various projects, including road networks, a strategic port, and an airport. Sharif noted that the CPEC would further enhance cooperation, emphasizing that 40 percent of the world's population resides in the ten full member states of the SCO.

This SCO meeting is a significant diplomatic event for Pakistan, marking the highest-profile gathering the nation has hosted in years. Seven prime ministers, including Chinese Premier Li Qiang, are participating in the event.

Furthermore, Sharif pointed out that stability in neighboring Afghanistan, situated between South and Central Asia, is vital for unlocking trade opportunities for SCO member states. Among the attendees is India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, marking the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan in nearly a decade, as relations between the two nuclear-armed nations remain tense.

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