Pak-China strategic partnership ensures regional progress: Alvi
ISLAMABAD – President Dr Arif Alvi has said that the new global order was emerging but these changes in the world order should not be of any kind of interference in each other’s affairs.
The president said that Pakistan and China think alike. “In the face of these changes, any global changes should be based upon principles rather than hegemony,” President Alvi remarked while talking to Chinese media at Presidency in Islamabad on Saturday.
The president also cautioned that Pakistan and China should also understand what was happening in the world as the global relations were like kaleidoscope with changing colours and should be on their guards that their government systems and institutions should not be threatened on false security perception.
“all- weather strategic cooperative partnership between China and Pakistan envisioned a prosperous region with establishment of economic and trade linkages through China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship of Chinese One Belt, One Road initiative,” president said.
President says govt systems, institutions should not be threatened on false security perception
He said Pakistan and China have been continuously talking about peace in the world and pushing for a durable peace across the world. The president cited both countries’ efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan.
The President said both China and Pakistan had a long history of friendship and they were continuously improving upon these ties which had started during 50s and tremendously grew up during 60s.
About the CPEC, the president said it is unique form of cooperation. CPEC completed projects stood around worth $28 billon whereas another $24 billion projects were under the completion.
He said the entire portfolio of CPEC projects was over $62 billion in the short term. Rejecting certain propaganda launched against CEPC, he said huge cooperation was going on between China and Pakistan.
He said that very low mark-up over this investment reflected the mutual cooperation rather than exploitation as projected by those opposing the project.
The president further said that under CPEC, the initial projects were energy based as Pakistan had been facing serious shortage of energy, subsequently, in the second phase, there were huge areas of cooperation in food, health agriculture and poverty alleviation.
To another query, he replied that China had adopted a zero-Covid policy but Pakistan handled it in a very different manner. The government in Pakistan opted for partial lockdown as its economy could not sustain complete lockdown.
Highlighting the importance of Gwadar port, the president said fast progress was being achieved. It was one of the largest ports in the region close to the Gulf and would serve as a major deep-sea port.
The president urged the governments of both the countries to make further efforts for ensuring movement of goods from China to Gwadar and vice versa.
Gwadar would be the shortest trade route for Afghanistan and to the Central Asian Republics (CARs), he said, adding that the more linkages were established, the more progress and development would take place in the region and beyond.
President Alvi said that they would be looking forward for the Chinese cooperation in developing the chips and cited development of JF-17 Thunder, a good example of cooperation between the two countries.
Responding to a question, the president felicitated the Chinese government for arranging the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics 2022.
It was a great achievement of the Chinese government to host such event during pandemic, he said, adding that Pakistan would also participate. He also congratulated the Chinese Communist Party on the 100 years of its foundation.
About the role of Pakistan in the Afghan peace and stability, the president said that it had been in the forefront of these efforts to ensure that Afghanistan should not fall back into isolation and its finances and banking sector should not collapse.