By Li Hongmei

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has said China is looking forward to building an economic corridor with Pakistan, which will start in its border city of Kashgar, in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and terminate at Gwadar port in Pakistan's Baluchistan.

The spokesman Hong Lei said construction of the corridor was the most important consensus reached by the two parties during Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Pakistan. China will work with Pakistan to step up the planning and construction of the project and make it the highlight of cooperation between the two countries, he said.

Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif mentioned the issue in his first speech after taking charge, and offered to build a highway and a railway linking western China, and running through Pakistan from south to north.

Gwadar port was built in 2006 with Chinese assistance totaling US $200 million.