BEIJING: Pakistan has emerged as a leading partner of the Belt and RoadInitiative (BRI), introduced by President Xi Jinping six years back,according to a survey released at a media and think tank exchange eventheld in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.
The fast and smooth functioning of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) makes Pakistan’s role most prominent in the community of thenations. The CPEC is cited as a practical demonstration of BRI’s concept ofshared destiny.
According to the survey, BRI has been gaining more recognition globally andwill help support economic development across Asia and beyond. The 2019Belt and Road Media and Think Tank Exchange Event attracted mainstreammedia representatives and think tank experts from 17 countries, includingPakistan and India.
Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chairman of the Senate’s Foreign Affairs Committee,represented Pakistan at the meeting. Addressing the meeting, he said thatthe media and think tanks have an important function in the internationalcommunity with regard to communicating and avoiding conflicts.
“People are the best bridge to different cultures communicating,” he said.“An initiative is needed for cultures to learn from each other, and we needto promote the development of such an initiative.”
A report released during the event, titled “Leading a New Round of GlobalOpening up and Cooperation; The Belt and Road in the Eyes of theInternational Community”, found that the global community’s recognition ofthe initiative has been increasing each year.
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China’s neighbouring countries particularly Pakistan has the bestunderstanding of it, according to the report. In last year’s survey of sixASEAN countries, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines,and Vietnam, 70pc of respondents said they knew of the BRI.
In another survey conducted in 11 Asian countries, including Israel, SaudiArabia, and India, 56pc of respondents thought the BRI provides a newsolution for global governance and a new mode for equal and win-wincooperation among countries.
The international community recognizes the BRI’s positive impacts on thedevelopment of their own countries, the report said.
