{"id":4021,"date":"2025-04-16T12:00:18","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T12:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=4021"},"modified":"2025-04-16T12:00:18","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T12:00:18","slug":"chinas-support-was-crucial-in-securing-imf-deal-says-pm-shehbaz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=4021","title":{"rendered":"China&#8217;s support was crucial in securing IMF deal, says PM Shehbaz"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that Pakistan\u2019s recent agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would not have been possible without the financial and diplomatic support extended by China.<\/p>\n<p>Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad for agriculture graduates selected for training in China, PM Shehbaz Sharif described Beijing as Pakistan\u2019s \u201cmost sincere friend\u201d and credited the country with playing a decisive role in stabilising Pakistan\u2019s struggling economy.<\/p>\n<p>The prime minister acknowledged China\u2019s continued economic partnership, particularly noting the one-year extension of a $2 billion loan repayment last month, which provided much-needed relief for Pakistan\u2019s foreign exchange reserves.<\/p>\n<p>Pakistan secured a $7 billion bailout package from the IMF in September 2024 to avert a balance of payments crisis. A staff-level agreement was reached in March 2025 after a successful review of the programme\u2019s first tranche, with China\u2019s backing seen as critical to the deal\u2019s completion.<\/p>\n<p>PM Shehbaz said China had consistently supported Pakistan\u2019s economy through investments in infrastructure, energy and industrial projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which he once again described as a \u201clifeline\u201d for the country.<\/p>\n<p>The prime minister reaffirmed his government\u2019s commitment to overhauling the agriculture sector, calling it essential for ensuring national food security, boosting export potential, and improving livelihoods in rural areas.<\/p>\n<p>As part of a government initiative to strengthen the sector, 1,000 Pakistani agriculture graduates will receive training in China in modern farming techniques, digital crop management and climate-resilient practices. The first group of 300 graduates is set to depart soon for a three-month programme, followed by two additional batches in phased training over the next year.<\/p>\n<p>During the event, Sharif congratulated the outgoing students and expressed hope that their training would directly contribute to agricultural innovation and productivity once they return.<\/p>\n<p>Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong, who also attended the ceremony, praised Pakistan\u2019s economic progress over the past year and reaffirmed Beijing\u2019s commitment to bilateral cooperation. He said China would continue to work closely with Pakistan, particularly in modernising its agricultural sector.<\/p>\n<p>Jiang said Chinese President Xi Jinping attached great importance to Pakistan\u2019s development and the long-standing partnership between the two nations.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that Pakistan\u2019s recent agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would not have been possible without the financial and diplomatic support extended by China. Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad for agriculture graduates selected for training in China, PM Shehbaz Sharif described Beijing as Pakistan\u2019s \u201cmost sincere friend\u201d and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4021\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}