Islamabad, Feb 24 (IANS): The pace of the ongoing and forthcoming projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will not be slowed down by the coronavirus outbreak in the Asian giant, a Pakistani official said on Monday.

CPEC is the living example of the strong friendship between Pakistan and its iron brother China, and the benefits of the completed projects under the first phase of CPEC have already started to appear, Chairman of the CPEC Authority in Pakistan Asim Bajwa said.

He said that the electricity demand keeps rising in Pakistan, and the completed power projects under CPEC are helping the country meet the energy demand, whereas some in progress projects will be completed well in time or ahead of time this year, further improving the electricity supply in the country, reports Xinhua news agency.

Praising the role of CPEC in infrastructural projects in the country, the Chairman said that the road projects completed under the multi-billion-dollar economic cooperation between the two countries have shrunk the distances greatly, improving life of the people and enhancing business activity in the country.

The $60 billion CPEC is a key project of Beijing's Belt and Road initiative that aims to connect Asia, Africa and Europe through a vast network of highways, rail lines and sea lanes.

The multi-billion dollar corridor connects the Chinese city of Kashgar with Pakistan's Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea.