By Hamid Mahmood ISLAMABAD, Feb. 22 (INP-WealthPK): Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent visit to China will give the bilateral strategic partnership a new impetus and help expedite the pace of work on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. The Chinese government had invited Prime Minister Imran Khan to visit Beijing from 3 to 6 February 2022 to attend the Winter Olympic Games 2022 opening ceremony. The PM met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang during his visit. The two sides signed 15 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) covering economic and technological cooperation, industry, investment, infrastructure, space, vaccines, digitisation, standards, disaster management, culture, sports, and vocational education. Imran Khan praised the Chinese government for its great and diligent planning, and holding the games in a streamlined, safe, and spectacular manner. The leadership from the two countries stated that the Olympic Games were a worldwide event that promoted international understanding, inclusion, and friendship. The leaders reiterated that Pakistan and China's close strategic relations and profound friendship are time-tested and timeless. Both nations have benefited from the bilateral partnership, which was a historic choice made by both peoples. The Pakistani side emphasised that the Pakistan-China relationship is the cornerstone of its foreign policy and that Pakistan's people embrace strong partnership with China. The Chinese side reaffirmed its commitment to Pakistan's sovereignty, independence, and security, as well as its socio-economic growth and prosperity. As a flagship project of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the CPEC has made a significant contribution to Pakistan's economic and social development, in line with the country's shift to geo-economics, and the economic security agenda of promoting trade, investments, and connectivity. Both parties noted the CPEC projects' significant contribution to enhancing Pakistan's crucial role in regional connectivity and upgrading its economic basis, notably in the areas of energy and transportation infrastructure. The leaders underlined their commitment to CPEC's high-quality development and to ensure that the existing projects run smoothly and projects under construction are completed on schedule. The Pakistani Board of Investment (BoI) and China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) have signed a 'Framework Agreement on Industrial Cooperation’ which will make it easier for industries from China and other countries to relocate to Pakistan's SEZs. Prime Minister Imran Khan held a series of meetings with leaders of Chinese companies that expressed interest in establishing a $3.5 billion reprocessing park in Gwadar and a $350 million textile cluster near Lahore. He praised their eagerness to invest in Pakistan and encouraged them to take advantage of business-friendly policies for investment in SEZs. The CPEC is a framework for regional connectivity, infrastructure development, and industrial cooperation that will benefit both countries and have a favourable influence on the area, while the parties actively promote, facilitate, and implement a long-term industrial development plan. China has an edge in terms of technology, money, and industrial capacity, while Pakistan has favourable natural resources, appropriate manpower, high-quality infrastructure, international market access, and optimal industrial regulations.