Islamabad, August 11 (INP): China wishes to see a strong and prosperous Pakistan and prepared to extend all possible support to make it a reality, said Chinese ambassador Sun Wiedong. While speaking at a function held at Institute of Policy Studies, he said, the Sino-Pak relationship is described as All-Weather, All-Round and Iron Brothers and these are unique expression in country-to-country relationship. The historic visit of President Xi Jinping in 2013 paved way for the new era of bilateral relationship which to-date has seen comprehensive promotion of exchanges in the areas of trade, investment, culture, education, science and technology between the two countries. According to the ambassador, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has entered the stage of giving some early harvest. Among the projects with the total worth of $18.5 billion investment, the projects pertaining to energy – the dire most need of Pakistan at present – had been at the forefront with six projects in progress and five have already been built. The speed of the completion of Sahiwal Coal Power Project has been a record in Pakistan and it is expected that the completion of all eleven energy projects will add about 11000 megawatts of electricity to the Pakistan’s national grid, eventually significantly alleviating the energy shortage in Pakistan and adding strong impetus to the country’s economic development. The construction of road connections were termed another vital area of investment by the diplomat stating that the upgradation of Karakoram Highway and the highway from Peshawar to Karachi will unlock the transportation arteries in Pakistan that will effectively stimulate economic vitality. Social effects were another emerging area pointed by the ambassador, with about 60,000 Pakistani workers already employed by Chinese enterprises under and outside the umbrella of CPEC as per some statistics. These Chinese companies were not only bringing the investment as well as the tax revenue to Pakistan, but also playing an important role of transforming locals into skilled and productive workforce in numerous areas. He viewed that such contributions by the Chinese organizations will eventually result in the development and transformation of complete industry chain in Pakistan, he added. Ambassador Sun Weidong also spoke about the ongoing situation of academic exchanges between the two countries stating that around 18,000 Pakistan students were studying in China at present whereas the number of Pakistani students enjoying scholarships by the Chinese government accumulated to nearly ten per cent of the total offerings. INP/J/AH