PESHAWAR – Ambassador of China to Pakistan Yao Jing on Tuesday visited AreaStudy Centre for Russia, China and Central Asia, University of Peshawar fora round table Conference on Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), CPEC and PeaceProspects in Afghanistan on Tuesday during day long visit.
The conference was attended by General (r) Asad Durrani, Prof Dr AzmatHayat Khan, Rahimulla Yousafzai, Rustam Shah Momand, Brig (r) Saad, Brig(r) Mehmood Shah, Mohammad Abid, Pro-VC University of Peshawar, Dr ZahidGul Registrar University of Peshawar and many other professors and scholars.
The Ambassador of China to Pakistan said that China has comprehensiverelations with Pakistan and CPEC is just a part of that. China wants tohelp Pakistan overcome the socio-economic under-development.
Western parts of Pakistan particularly the less developed areas would befocused upon in the next phase of CPEC, the Ambassador said. The CPECrelated projects are purely demand driven and approved by JCC aftersubmission by the Government of Pakistan.
He said that Afghanistan’s role is central to the success of BRI andtherefore peace in Afghanistan is essential for regional economicintegration for shared growth and prosperity inter and intra-regionally.
The political settlement between Afghan Government and Taliban will havepositive impact on the development of Afghanistan, region and regionalintegration.
He also said that China totally supports Pakistan’s efforts and role in thepeace process of Afghanistan.
The ambassador has already given his consent to provide financialassistance to the Area Study Centre, for establishing Chinese Language Laband for holding international conference on BRI, CPEC and Trans-RegionalIntegration in April this year.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Prof. Dr. Shabir Ahmad Khan, Director AreaStudy Centre said that the regional geo-economic and geo-strategicconfiguration has been changed. Pakistan has overturned the inheritedFrontier Policy and Russia across the Amu-Darya is rather a strategicpartner now.
The historical Russia-India convergence over Afghanistan has long beenceased. America has lost power and influence over decision making inPakistan while Russia has lost the same over decision making in India. Theonly exception in this changed regional geo-political scenario is theever-green Pak-China relationship which is further augmented.
He said that China has been transforming the historical bilateral strategicand political relations into economic partnership through CPEC. Though CPECcarries a strategic face also, the socio-economic under development is theweakness of Pakistan which the common adversaries can exploit and canafflict damage to Pakistan and CPEC.
Pakistan and China are in close coordination over the process of conflictresolution in Afghanistan. If any settlement reached upon it will needcontinuous diplomatic, financial and political support from the regionalstates as real stakeholders in peace of Afghanistan.