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**By APD writer Muhammad Sohail **
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 22 (APD) - Members of the Pakistan-China Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Pakistani Senate and Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing Thursday agreed on enhanced parliamentary exchanges between the two countries to further boost their historic bilateral relations, a statement said.
The meeting of the Friendship Group was held at the Parliament House in the Pakistani capital Islamabad with Senator Saleem Mandviwala in the chair.
The meeting was attended by senators Taj Afridi, Seher Kamran, Daud Achakzai, Kalsoom Parveen and Sassui Palijo, Pakistani diplomat from foreign ministry Ayesha Ahsan, and Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing.
Both sides also agreed on the importance of taking parliamentarians into confidence on the developments on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of Belt and Road Initiative.
The Chinese ambassador appreciated the idea of regular interactions with the members of friendship group as well as with senators from the provinces.
Ayesha Ahsan gave a comprehensive briefing on the political system of China, its state organizational structure, Pakistan-China bilateral relations, parliamentary exchanges, economic and trade relations.
Ahsan also told participants about the developments in the free trade agreement between the two countries, foreign direct investment, and work on the CPEC and way forward for enhanced interactions.
The briefing was followed by an interactive question-answer session in which senators asked pertinent questions, which were responded by the ambassador.
Senators stressed upon bridging the gap of information that lay among different stakeholders on the development and scope of the CPEC, adding that regular interaction would diminish the doubts that arose due to uncertainty.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
