BEIJING, June 25: Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal met Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin here on Tuesday and discussed with him economic, trade, energy and strategic relations between the two countries.

Mr Iqbal, accompanied by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi and Economic Affairs Secretary Nargis Sethi, said the Asian region was going through a massive economic transition. There were, he said, four engines of growth in the region -- China, South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East -- and stressed the need for converting the region into a major economic bloc to exploit its enormous potential.

He said Pakistan wanted to play an important role in interconnectivity of the region and sought China’s help in pursuing this endeavour. He stressed that the economic corridor project initiated by Pakistan and China was of profound importance and Pakistan was determined to transform it into reality at the earliest.

Mr Iqbal said that in view of the evolving regional geo-strategic situation it was necessary that the region’s economy was converted from war-economy into peace-economy through infrastructure and trade development projects and people-centred and development-oriented policies.

Mr Zhenmin expressed the hope that under the new government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, relations between China and Pakistan and cooperation would be further strengthened. He assured the delegation that China would continue to assist Pakistan in its economic and developmental goals.

He said the economic corridor project was of vital importance and both the countries needed to pursue it with coordinated policies.

He thanked the government of Pakistan for extending its full cooperation in transporting to Islamabad the bodies of two Chinese mountaineers killed in a terrorist attack in Nanga Parbat.

The Pakistani delegation also met the chairman of Exim Bank and the executive vice-president of China Development Bank. Mr Iqbal urged them to set up economic corridor and infrastructure funds for implementation of development projects in Pakistan. He called for waiving insurance premium on development loans secured by the government of Pakistan.—APP