ISLAMABAD
\nPresident Dr Arif Alvi on Saturday said that all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between China and Pakistan envisioned a prosperous region with the establishment of economic and trade linkages through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship of Chinese One Belt, One Road initiative. During an interaction with the Chinese media, the president said Pakistan and China enjoyed excellent relations which were based upon all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.
\nDilating upon the long history of ties between the Iron Brothers, the president said both the countries had been cooperating in diverse fields through China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
\nThe leadership of the both countries had been consistently improving upon the historic relationship, he said, adding the ties were based upon people-to-people linkages. President Alvi said both countries had faced testing times. The world is in the flux, facing different challenges and issues like illegal occupation of Kashmir (IIOJK) by India. 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\u2019 efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan.
\nChina 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, he added. China\u2019s link with the world was established through Pakistan, he said. To a question, the president said that the new global order was emerging. On different issues, Pakistan and China think alike. In the face of these changes, the president stressed that any global changes should be based upon principles rather than hegemony. The president further stressed that these changes should not be of any kind of interference in each other\u2019s affairs.
\nThe last seventy years ties between Pakistan and China had been a good example for the world to show how countries could be friendly and forged relations based upon principles and mutual understanding, he added.
\nAbout the CPEC, the president said it is unique form of cooperation. CPEC completed projects stood around worth $28 billion whereas another $24 billion projects were under the completion.
\nThe president said the entire portfolio of CPEC projects was over $62 in the short term. \u201cI think the CPEC has a tremendous impact upon the economy of Pakistan,\u201d he opined. Rejecting certain propaganda launched against CEPC, he said huge cooperation was going on between China and Pakistan. He said that a very low mark-up over this investment reflected the mutual cooperation rather than exploitation as projected by those opposing the project.
\nThe 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.<\/p>\n
The president reiterated that through these multi-dimensional projects,
\npeople in Pakistan would find more job opportunities and would come out
\nof poverty.<\/p>\n
He observed that poverty could be alleviated through the strengthening
\nof health and education infrastructure over which Pakistan was fully
\nfocusing with different initiatives like Ehsaas programme.<\/p>\n
To another query, he replied that China had adopted a zero-Covid policy
\nbut Pakistan handled it in a very different manner. The government in
\nPakistan opted for partial lockdown as its economy could not sustain
\ncomplete lockdown.<\/p>\n
There were maximum 6,800 covid cases in Pakistan during the months of
\nJune and July, he added.<\/p>\n
Highlighting the importance of Gwadar port, the president said fast
\nprogress was being achieved. It was one of the largest ports in the
\nregion close to the Gulf and would serve as a major deep-sea port.<\/p>\n
The president shared that it would link western areas of China proving
\nas a big advantage for it. He said Gwadar port was also strategically
\nvery important from other aspects as well including fishery.<\/p>\n
The president urged the governments of the both countries to make
\nfurther efforts for ensuring movement of goods from China to Gwadar and
\nfrom Gwadar to China.<\/p>\n
Gwadar would be the shortest trade route for Afghanistan and to the
\nCentral Asian Republics (CARs), he said, adding the more linkages were
\nestablished, the more progress and development would take place in the
\nregion and beyond.<\/p>\n
Gwadar port would ensure peace and development for the whole region, he
\nexpressed the confidence. About the cooperation in IT sector, the
\npresident underlined that cyber security and the human resources were
\nneeded to be developed. He maintained that tomorrow\u2019s world would not be
\nbased upon brick and mortar.<\/p>\n
China and Pakistan required to be firewalled against hacking, the
\nability of the non-state actors to launch cyberattacks; for example, to
\naffect their banking and financial institutions and utilities as
\neverything was available on internet, the president added.<\/p>\n
The president said that they would be looking forward for the Chinese
\ncooperation in developing the chips and cited development of JF-17
\nThunder, a good example of cooperation between the two countries.<\/p>\n
The president said the IT sector across the globe was witnessing an
\nexponential growth for which the world needs trained manpower and
\nstressed that both countries could bring their people into this sector
\nfor the economic prosperity.<\/p>\n
The president also elaborated that both countries could cooperate
\nfurther in agriculture and Pakistan could learn to increase its yields
\nwith the help of Chinese expertise and technology.<\/p>\n
In the health sector, Pakistan appreciated the way China extended help
\nand guidance during the Covid pandemic. The president opined efforts at
\npoverty alleviation in Pakistan had been linked with the mutual
\ncooperation.<\/p>\n
About a question regarding adoption of a resolution by the Chinese
\nCommunist Party over its achievements, the president said that they
\nappreciated such achievements of the Chinese people led by the Communist
\nparty.<\/p>\n
Responding to a question, the president said that every region had
\ndifferent principles of democratic system, some have presidential form
\nwhile others were run through prime ministers.<\/p>\n
A set of democracy in any part of the world could not be transplanted in
\nanother, he observed. The president said that Chinese democracy had
\nevolved very much as it had unified approach to develop the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina has made efforts in improving on trade and taking 800 million
\npeople out of poverty which is not a small achievement,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
He said one belt and one road was a great example to the world to show
\nas to how development for the decades ahead could be achieved. To
\nanother question, the president felicitated the Chinese government for
\narranging the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics 2022.<\/p>\n
He opined that from the history of Greece, the world learnt that games
\nhad been a source to bring nations closer, enhance cooperation and
\npromote healthy competition through games.<\/p>\n
It was a great achievement of the Chinese government to host such an
\nevent during pandemic, he said, adding that Pakistan would also
\nparticipate.<\/p>\n
The president observed that it was unsuitable if games were stymied with
\npolitics on false perceptions. The president also congratulated the
\nChinese Communist Party on the 100 years of its foundation.<\/p>\n
He said that it continued to guide the world as an example of prosperity
\nand through the way, it displayed unity and took people out of poverty.
\nHe stressed that other countries could learn from the peoples\u2019
\nparticipation in the government and CCP being an institution for
\nprogress.<\/p>\n
The president also cautioned that Pakistan and China should also
\nunderstand what was happening in the world as the global relations were
\nlike a kaleidoscope with changing colours and should be on their guards
\nthat their government systems and institutions should not be threatened
\non false security perception.<\/p>\n
About the role of Pakistan in the Afghan peace and stability, the
\npresident said that it had been in the forefront of these efforts to
\nensure that Afghanistan should not fall back into isolation and its
\nfinances and banking sector should not collapse.<\/p>\n
He said Pakistan has brought the global focus back on Afghanistan. The
\nAfghan people had faced miseries in the last three decades and it was
\nimportant that the world must bring them into the mainstream, he
\nemphasized.<\/p>\n
About the women education, the Afghan government had assured that it
\nwould continue, besides the Afghan soil would not be used for any
\nterrorism, he added.<\/p>\n
The president said Pakistan had hosted about four million Afghans on its
\nsoil for four decades and there was no political party in the country
\nthat had opposed the refugees unlike the Mediterranean, where the
\nmigrants had been left to drown.<\/p>\n
He said Pakistan had also successfully hosted the extraordinary meeting
\nof the foreign ministers of OIC and with these efforts, it ensured to
\nsave Afghanistan from becoming a backburner.<\/p>\n
The president also wished tremendous progress, prosperity and success to
\nthe Chinese government and its people at the herald of the new year. DNA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD President Dr Arif Alvi on Saturday said that all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between China and Pakistan envisioned a prosperous region with the establishment of economic and trade linkages through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship of Chinese One Belt, One Road initiative. During an interaction with the Chinese media, the president said Pakistan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":218179,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[18,385,20,1218,3031],"class_list":{"0":"post-238994","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news","8":"tag-china","9":"tag-development","10":"tag-pakistan","11":"tag-president-alvi","12":"tag-strategic-ties"},"yoast_head":"\n