Pakistan is the biggest beneficiary of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, saying that the country is heading toward a "version 2.0" upgrade of CPEC.
Launched in 2013, CPEC is a corridor linking Gwadar Port in Pakistan with Kashgar in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which highlights energy, transport, and industrial cooperation in the first phase, while in the new phase it expands to fields of agriculture and livelihood, among others.
Speaking in an interview with China Media Group (CMG), Sharif said Pakistan has made remarkable progress in multiple areas, such as energy, infrastructure and employment.
"Pakistan is the biggest beneficiary of the flagship project of BRI -- CPEC, which is its offshoot. And we have been able to achieve great milestones, overcoming our energy shortages, building our infrastructure, providing productive jobs to millions of Pakistanis. And now we are moving in the direction of CPEC 2.0," said Sharif.
The prime minister said he hopes to see new pathways of cooperation between Pakistan and China as the project develops.
"In the field of agriculture, IT, AI, and of course, what is absolutely important is mutual cooperation in mines and minerals, and, of course, special economic zones. These are, I think, the areas I am looking forward to seeking cooperation with Chinese companies, B2B -- Chinese provinces with the provinces of Pakistan. And this will be a game changer," Sharif said.
Pakistan-China cooperation under CPEC heading to new level: Pakistani PM
Pakistan-China cooperation under CPEC heading to new level: Pakistani PM
More than a month ahead of the Chinese New Year, restaurants across China have reported a booming demand for reunion dinners, with popular places already fully reserved.
The family reunion dinners on the eve of the Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, is the most important meal of the year for Chinese people. It has long been an essential part of celebrating the Chinese New Year. This year, the festival falls on Feb 17.
In Taiyuan, capital city of north China's Shanxi Province, one restaurant said all tables for the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner have been reserved.
"We now have 36 private rooms and 13 tables in the hall. The New Year's Eve dinner is fully booked. Many families started reserving as early as November 2025," said Han Huiyan, a restaurant manager.
To meet the demand, many restaurants start to offer takeaway banquet package that can be easily prepared at home, allowing families to enjoy a variety of festive dishes without dining out.
In Ningbo, a city in east China's Zhejiang Province, many popular restaurants said that they are approaching full reservation levels. To reduce peak demand, some restaurants now offer off-peak reunion dinners starting later at night.
"We now offer a 'second round' of New Year's Eve dinners, which start at 19:30. We also offer discount for such New Year's Eve dinners, a promotion of 20 percent off set menus," said Sun Lijuan, a restaurant manager.
In Lianyungang, a city in east China's Jiangsu Province, smaller private rooms of a local restaurant have been nearly sold out, and customized menus and home-delivery services have drawn strong interest.
"This year we have specially launched the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner delivery service. Bookings are very strong and customers really like this option," said Geng Maoran, a restaurant general manager.
Restaurants see surge in bookings for Chinese New Year's Eve dinners
