Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Eminent Chinese scholar Prof Dr Wang Yiwei on Monday said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will not only help Pakistan and China rise to new highs of development and progress but will equally benefit the entire region, especially India and Afghanistan, in near future.

In an exclusive briefing to a select group of journalists here at a local hotel, the visiting dignitary said that the project has already boosted the perception of Pakistan to a great deal. “Now Pakistan is regaining world confidence,” he said, and added that a new trade boom would soon be visible in Pakistan. “The CPEC, even before its launch, has restored the confidence of the international investors in Pakistan. It has not only helped Pakistan attract much-needed foreign investment but has also rejuvenated the entire Pakistani nation which is fighting the menace of terrorism,” he said.

Dr Wang said that lots of Chinese companies were investing in Pakistan under the CPEC project and soon the Chinese companies will start relocating their manufacturing plants to Pakistan. “Since skill building process has started in Pakistan, soon the Chinese companies will be interested in transfering technology to Pakistan.

The visiting scholar said that the corridor has five components necessary for economic growth of Pakistan, including energy projects, infrastructure development, free economic zones, industrial parks and ports across Pakistan.

“There is a Chinese saying: if you want to get rich, build roads first. If you want to get richer, build motorways and if you want to get richest, build internet. Now China is providing all these tools to its Pakistani brothers. We are building roads, motorways, high speed railways, information technology parks, energy projects, free economic zones, ports and everything Pakistan needs,” he said.

Highlighting the vision behind the Chinese initiative of One Belt, One Road, he said that the strategy would help revive the old Asian Silk Route which would provide an opportunity to pull the poor of the world out of the clutches of poverty.

“Poverty is the common enemy of humanity. The Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) is the key to economic development and prosperity. China has launched BRI to help connect the people of the globe to from a global community with shared destiny and jointly fight the menace of poverty which leads to terrorism, extremism and violence,” he said.

Dr Wang, who has written four books on BRI, said that access to sea is key for rapid development of trade and economy and China is building ports in Pakistan to materialize the dream of rapid development. “Landlocked countries and landlocked areas can’t prosper. There is a saying that access to sea is access to the world. Pakistan has its Gwadar Port operational now. You have the access to the world. Year 2017 is the takeoff year for the CPEC,” he said, and added that ports of Pakistan would not only help develop its landlocked areas but they also the landlocked areas in the entire region.

“These ports would help China’s Xinjiang province and Afghanistan greatly by providing access to the sea. Whether its energy shortage, extremism or terrorism, the CPEC would virtually resolve all the problems of Pakistan,” he said, and added that the road network across Pakistan would help all parts of the country develop equally.

Dr Wang, who is a professor at the School of International Studies of Renmin University of China, was accompanied by Dr Liu Zhijie, Counselor, Department of Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China; Fan Lei, Senior Research Fellow, Charhar Institute of China; Chen Xiaochen, Senior Research Fellow, Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of Renmin University of China; Lan Jianxue, Associate Research Fellow, China Institute of International Studies; and Wang Weiran, Attache, Department of Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. Lai Haiyang, media officer at the Chinese embassy was also present.