ISSI, China think-tanks unite on arms control agenda

Author: APP

The Arms Control and Disarmament Centre (ACDC) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) organized an In-House Meeting with a Chinese delegation led by Mr. SUN Xiaobo, Director General, Department of Arms Control, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Beijing. Other members of the delegation included: Mr. Xie Xinxing, Deputy Division Director, Ms. XIAO Yue, Deputy Division Director, and Jiang Yingbo, Second Secretary, Department of Arms Control, MFA; and Mr. Xu Hangtian, Minister Counsellor and Ms. Wanf YiQiu, Third Secretary, Embassy of China, Islamabad.

The Session was attended by distinguished former diplomats, practitioners, academics, and think-tanks experts including: Ambassador Zamir Akram; Ambassador Masood Khalid; Ambassador Tehmina Janjua; Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi; Ambassador Babar Amin; Mr Haroon Rashid, DG SECDIV; Maj Gen (R) Ausaf Ali; Maj. Gen. (R) Naseer Ali Khan; Dr. Salma Malik, QAU; Dr. Shabana Fayyaz, QAU; Air Commodore (R) Khalid Banuri; Mr Kamran Hashmi, NIMA; Dr. Adil Sultan, Air University; Mr. Imran Ahmad Khan and Mr. Rashid Sultan, PAEC; and Dr. Ghulam Mujaddid, NDU.

Participants from the ISSI included Director General Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, Chairman BoG Ambassador Khalid Mahmood, Centers’ Directors, and members of the ACDC team. The event was moderated by director ACDC Malik Qasim Mustafa.

The participants discussed a wide range of subjects – including global trends and challenges facing arms controls and disarmament regime; challenges posed by emerging technologies; managing the risks of AI; rising major-power competition; militarization of outer space; ongoing Ukraine conflict and the increased risk of nuclear clash; deepening Indo-US strategic partnership; regional and global security dynamics; and China’s Global Security Initiative.

The wide-ranging interaction exuded the spirit of Pakistan-China relationship marked by strategic mutual trust and reinforced common perceptions and convergent positions on security and strategic issues of common interest.

At the end, Ambassador Khalid Mahmood presented ISSI shield to the Chinese delegation.

Meanwhile, Pakistan and China held the 9th round of bilateral consultations on arms control and non-proliferation in Islamabad, discussing global and regional security, emerging technologies, and bilateral cooperation.

The talks were led by Ambassador Tahir Andrabi and Director General Sun Xiaobo, who also met with Foreign Secretary Ambassador Amna Baloch. Both sides agreed to continue regular exchanges and consultations, with the next round scheduled for Beijing next year. The two sides held in-depth discussions on the entire spectrum of arms control & nonproliferation issues; global and regional security; new and emerging technologies; cyber-security; artificial intelligence; outer space; and bilateral cooperation in the peaceful applications of nuclear technology.