GWADAR, Pakistan, June 3 (Xinhua/Jiang Chao) -- The inauguration ceremony of the China-aided Eastbay Expressway of Gwadar port was held on June 3 in Gwadar city of Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province. This marks the official opening of the road connecting Gwadar port to the outside world.

Addressing the ceremony, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif thanked China for the grant and said that China has built a very high-quality expressway which links the port to the coastal highway ahead. It will enhance connectivity and help the transportation of goods from the port all the way to the country's southern port city of Karachi in the future, said the Prime Minister.

On June 3rd, in Gwadar, southwestern Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif (first from the left) inaugurated the Gwadar East Bay Expressway. (Xinhua/Jiang Chao)

Sharif said that China has donated solar panels to thousands of families in Gwadar, aided the construction of a hospital and other livelihood infrastructures, and will fund a desalination plant.

On the same occasion, Pang Chunxue, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy to Pakistan, said China attaches great importance to people's livelihood in Gwadar, and is willing to continue promoting the development of Gwadar's healthcare, education, vocational and technical personnel training and other livelihood fields. China will strive to continue to help solve local people's problems such as shortage of electricity and fresh water, and promote the construction of a smart, green and modern Gwadar Port, so that local people can share the high-quality development of the CPEC, Pang said. "It is our joint efforts that ensured the successful delivery of this CPEC project in Gwadar." Pang said the construction of the expressway aims to benefit the local people, and the concerns of local fishermen were fully considered in the design and construction. "When the New Gwadar International Airport is completed in the future, it will work with the Eastbay Expressway to promote Gwadar as a regional transportation hub and create a better life for the local people," Pang added.

Aerial photo taken on June 3, 2022 shows a section of the China-aided Eastbay Expressway of Gwadar port in Gwadar of Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province. (Xinhua/Jiang Chao)

The Gwadar East Bay Expressway starts from Gwadar Port in the south, with a total length of 19.49 kilometers, and the end point is connected to Pakistan National Highway 10. It is one of the early harvest projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which was officially started in 2017 by the China Communications Construction Company.

Soource: Xinhua