Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated expanding China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on Wednesday, saying it would enhance regional trade cooperation and promote "the vision of a connected Eurasia."

He delivered the remarks at the annual heads of government meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Islamabad. Beijing and Russia established the SCO in 2001 as a way to counterbalance Western alliances in the areas of security, politics, and economics.

In his inaugural speech to the SCO huddle, Sharif hailed China's investments in infrastructure projects in Pakistan as part of its global Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI, and called for its expansion.

“Flagship projects like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor…should be expanded, focusing on developing road, rail, and digital infrastructure that enhances integration and cooperation across our region,” he stated.

“Let us not look at such projects through the narrow political prism, and [instead] invest in our collective connectivity capacities, which are crucial to advancing the shared vision of an economically integrated region,” Sharif asserted, noting that 40% of the world's population lives in SCO member countries.

Beijing launched the ambitious $1 trillion BRI, a global infrastructure and energy network, a decade ago to connect Asia, Africa, and Europe through new land and maritime routes.

The United States and other Western critics see the plan as a tool for China to expand its geopolitical and economic influence. They also criticize the Chinese investments, alleging they are burdening developing countries with unsustainable debt, charges Beijing rejects as politically motivated.

Last year, through the G7 framework, Western nations unveiled a $600 billion initiative to establish an alternative infrastructure development plan for connectivity.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, known as CPEC, is a key BRI extension into Pakistan, building road networks, mostly coal-fired power plants and a deep-water port as well as an airport in the coastal city of Gwadar.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin were among the leaders from the 10-member grouping who attended Wednesday's gathering, including host Pakistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Iran.

An official Chinese statement quoted Premier Li as stating during the SCO gathering in Islamabad that China "looks forward to working with all parties” to implement the outcomes of summits and “deepen cooperation in various fields, and promote the cohesion of the SCO, so as to make greater contributions to advancing regional peace, stability, and development.”