ISLAMABAD - The completion ceremony of a China-donated vocational training institute was held on Friday in Gwadar of Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province.

As an important project for public well-being under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Gwadar Technical and Vocational Institute was constructed by the China Harbor Engineering Company, with an aim to meet the urgent need of the locals in Gwadar and promote the sustainable development of the area.

Addressing the ceremony, Chairman of the Gwadar Port Authority Naseer Khan Kashani expressed his gratitude to China for the grant of the project and to the Chinese engineers and workers who have completed this institute ahead of schedule despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pakistan has benefited a lot from the energy and transport infrastructure projects under CPEC, while the socio-economic projects of the Corridor are also very important for the South Asian country, Kashani said, adding that the Gwadar Port Authority will make the best use of the institute with comprehensive planning to offer the locals training opportunities to enable them to get better jobs and live a better life.

In a video message, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong said the completion of the institute marks a great milestone of CPEC, and is also a long-expected event for the Gwadar people.

"During its construction, the project provided more than 1,000 jobs to local people. After completion, it can accommodate 360 trainees at one time, and provide training opportunities for at least 1,000 people every year," said Nong, adding that the institute will serve as an "incubator" for high-quality and skilled workers for Gwadar and even Balochistan after functioning.

The embassy will always serve as a bridge to enhance pragmatic bilateral cooperation between China and Pakistan, helping to enrich and deepen the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and to build closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, Nong noted.

The technical and vocational institute has facilities for teaching and training and dormitories, while the construction of the project officially started in January of 2020.