Former senior Pakistan Air Force officer S.M. Hali highly praised China's Belt and Road Initiative during an interview with China Daily website, expressing his expectation that China will further open up and play "a more active part" in finding new methods of globalization.

Hali pointed out that China and Pakistan are close friends, with ties dating back to 1951, and his nation holds China in very high esteem.

"No two countries in the world are as close as China and Pakistan," said Hali. He mentioned the backbones of the Pakistani defense industry and industrial base were both set up by China.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, is a flagship program under the Belt and Road Initiative. Since its official launch in May 2013, the corridor construction has progressed rapidly and changed with each passing day.

Hali spoke highly of the CPEC project and described it as a showcase and successful example to the world that the BRI can be so lucrative.

Hali has visited China several times and done extensive research on the country. Speaking of its progress in the past 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic China, he mentioned that China's achievements in poverty reduction and opening-up policies have impressed him the most.

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