BEIJING – Pakistan Ambassador to China, Naghmana Hashmi has said thebilateral trade volume between Pakistan and China has now touched US $19.08 billion and both countries aimed to raise it further.
“The bilateral trade volume between Pakistan and China has now touched US$19.08. We aim to raise it further,” she said in her article published inChina Daily on Thursday.
Ambassador Hashmi said joint ventures in defence production have led to themanufacture of the MBT 2000 Al-Khalid Tank and JF-17 Thunder, a fighteraircraft.
“On the diplomatic front, the two countries are committed to protecting andpromoting multilateralism and upholding the United Nations (UN)Charter,while our cooperation has extended to science and technology, socioeconomicsectors and nuclear cooperation for peaceful purposes,” she added.
Pakistan and China are historically connected through the cultural andknowledge corridor. More than 1,000 years ago, famous Chinese monks such asFa Xian and Xuan Zang travelled to South Asia (modern-day Pakistan) tostudy Buddhism.
The famous book Journey to the West lists the Names of areas in Pakistan,like Peshawar, Swat, Taxila, and Kashmir, that Fa Xian and Xuan Zangtravelled to.
In the 7th century, the Prophet of Islam in his directives to his followers(Hadith) said, “seek knowledge even if you have to travel as far as toChina”.
Remarkably, nowadays around 28,000 Pakistani students are studying in topChinese universities. Likewise, Chinese students are studying inuniversities and centres of excellence in Pakistan. The number of visitorsfrom China has exceeded the accumulated number of visitors from the rest ofthe world.
Ambassador Hashmi said people-to-people contact and cultural exchanges haveincreased. Hence, despite different political systems, social orientations,cultural roots and heritage, Pakistan and China are a unique example ofcivilizational harmony and peaceful coexistence.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is also a revival of theancient Silk Road. Thousands of years ago, ancient Chinese traders wentto Europe through present-day Pakistan. Today, the ties are a modern-dayhallmark of deep-rooted friendship.
Several power generation and transmission projects were launched under theCPEC’s first phase. Basic infrastructure such as highways, railways,airports, seaports, oil and gas pipelines and optical fibre linkages havebeen upgraded and strengthened.
In its second phase, Pakistan is focused on spurring socio-economicdevelopment and job creation.
Establishment of special economic zones and encouraging Chinese companiesto join the Pakistani private sector for joint ventures will enable thistransition. Given that agriculture is the backbone of our economy, underthe current leadership, agro-ecology has also become a major component ofthe CPEC.
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The CPEC is inspired by President Xi’s vision of regional connectivity anda people-centric development model. It fully resonates with PrimeMinister Imran Khan’s vision of “Naya Pakistan” and he believes thatthe CPEC is a “game-changer” not only for Pakistan but the entire region.
Connecting Gwadar Port, in Southwestern Pakistan to the Xinjiang Uygurautonomous region, through a network of highways, railways, and pipelinesto transport oil and gas, presents enormous opportunities topeople from Gwadar to Kashgar.
It is a testament to our resolve to “leave no one behind” and eliminatepoverty. It is indeed an agenda to promote human dignity and prosperitythrough development to build a “community of shared destiny”.
The CPEC has also made China and Pakistan viable economic partners forcooperative regional integration with opportunities for South andCentral Asia’s rejuvenation.
It will open new avenues for economic activity and create a trade pathwayfor China and the middleEast and Africa at large. China has a lot togain from this corridor, as the shortest available connectivity route.
Thus, Pakistan’s significance will continue to increase because ofthe CPEC’s centrality to the Belt and Road Initiative.
Ambassador Hashmi remarked that in the last sevendecades, Pakistan and China have exponentially developed all aspects oftheir bilateral relations. “However, we have to seize new opportunities asthe world enters an unchartered era of new globalization”. The stratagem oftrade wars, military posturing and unilateralism are threatening globalpeace and economic growth.
With the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan, no headway on theIranian nuclear deal, upset in the Middle East, Jammu and Kashmir becominga hotspot, the ongoing Afghan peace process, and race for technologicaladvancement in a rapidly transitioning world, China and Pakistan need tomaintain policy cohesion.
In the coming decades, they envisage creating an enabling environmenttogether, for collective prosperity to promote regional economicintegration and security cooperation.
To achieve that, they must adhere to and continue our endeavors forequitable and just rule-based multilateral system, foster trustamong all neighbors and create the political will to tackle confrontations.
Such interdependence can overcome geographical constraints for sustainablesocioeconomic and security balance not only in South Asia but inthe world at large.
