BEIJING, July 14 (INP): Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Masood Khalid has underscored for more cooperation between Pakistan and China’s Hubei province in the fisheries and rice sectors. He said that Hubei has made many contributions to the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and many companies from the province are carrying out cooperative programs in Pakistan. Masood Khalid while addressing the promotion event of Hubei Province organized by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the theme of “China in the New Era: Hubei, From the Yangtze River to the World” stressed further deepening of cooperation between Pakistan and Hubei Province. Addressing the audience, Ambassador Masood Khalid highlighted the ongoing cooperation between Pakistan and Hubei Province. He noted that a number of companies from Hubei Province were involved in energy, infrastructure and development projects in Pakistan such as the newly commissioned Islamabad International Airport, Karachi Deep Water Port project and Neelum-Jhelum Power Project. In addition, there is a sizeable Pakistani student community in Hubei Province. He said that Hebei also have advanced system of education. Out of 25000 Pakistani students who are studying in different Chinese universities, 2725 students are studying in Hubei which is largest number of overseas students in the province. Ambassador Masood Khalid underscored that cooperation in the fisheries and rice sectors, which were strong areas of the Province could be promoted Pakistan and Hubei Province. China made it a national strategy to develop the Yangtze River Economic Belt in 2014. The move is expected to boost cooperative development in riverside regions and provide new growth opportunities for China's economy. The Yangtze River Economic Belt, which accounts for more than 40 percent of both the national population and GDP, is a new growth engine for the country, reducing the development gap between eastern, central and western regions. Jiang Chaoliang, secretary of the Hubei Committee of the Communist Party of China, said Hubei is the only province where the Yangtze River flows for more than 1,000 kilometers, and the province plays an important role in the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt as well as in the protection of the river. Provincial Governor Wang Xiaodong noted at the event that Hubei would like to invite friends from different countries to explore new avenues of cooperation and development. Members of the Diplomatic Corps, representatives of the International Organizations, foreign media as well as Chinese officials attended the event. INP/W/AJ