Daily Times

Three-member delegation led by the China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong Monday called on the Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam and discussed various matters of bilateral interest including environmental sustainability, climate resilience and renewable energy, according to a press statement issued here on Monday.

“We have discussed in detail various matters for enhanced bilateral cooperation and opportunities pertaining to the fields of post-Covid-19 green economic recovery in Pakistan by enhancing investment in nature-based solutions and green job creations, environmental sustainability, climate resilience, fore¬¬st management, air pollution, water conservation and disaster risk reduction,” Malik Amin Aslam said.

Meanwhile, China’s ambassador said that his government is also committed to extend support to the green vision of Prime Imran Khan and his remarkable green initiatives including the Green Stimulus, a post-COVID-19 green recovery initiatives for restoring people’s lives and livelihood affected by the pandemic.

Chinese Ambassador told PM’s aide Malik Amin Aslam that it’s heartening that Prime Minister’s Imran Khan’s vision for green Pakistan is perfectly aligned to the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vision for green China.

“However, we as a Chinese government see a huge scope and opportunities of working jointly to promote the common green vision for enhanced environmental sustainability and climate resilience against various adverse impacts of climate change on water, energy, food, health and education sectors,” the Chinese ambassador said.

Both sides also agreed to make China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) a model green belt and road initiative by calling it China-Pakistan Green Economic Corridor, so that environment is taken care of while implementing the game-changer project of regional connectively and economic development.

Malik Amin Aslam informed the ambassador that an ambitious Protected Areas Initiative, approved by the Prime Minister, has been already launched under the umbrella programme ‘Clean Green Pakistan’, which is the present government’s historic milestone for nature conservation and promotion of nature-based solutions and creation of green jobs in the country. It aims to expand the country’s protected areas cover from 13 percent to more than15 percent by 2023 and create 5,000 green jobs across the country that are viewed as crucial in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, while at the same time safeguarding the country’s natural resources.

While sharing more details of the green and clean Pakistan initiatives launched under the Prime Minister’s Imran Khan’s vision for Clean and Green Pakistan, Malik Amin Aslam told the Chinese envoy Nong Rong that the climate change ministry has kicked-off several flagship programmes and projects including the world’s largest afforestation programme of 10 Billion Tree Tsunami Programme, Clean Green Pakistan Programme, Protected Areas Initiative, Plastic-Free Pakistan Initiative, Recharge Pakistan Initiative as a part of the country’s efforts to achieve environmental sustainability and climate resilience through conservation and protection of environment, forests and wildlife, wherein community and youth engagements are being assigned the top priority.

The Chinese envoy appreciated the present government’s green and clean initiatives, ambitious 10 Billion Tsunami Programme, protection and conservation programmes of environment, wildlife and Pakistan recharge programme for enhancing country’s resilience against deleterious fallouts of climate change on water, energy, agriculture, food security, energy, health, education and lives and livelihoods of the vulnerable rural and mountain communities.

China’s ambassador Nong Rong remarked that Pakistan’s green and clean initiatives are truly inspiring initiated despite tight economic conditions.

“Its really incredible and inspiring that despite limited financial resources, Pakistan has launched world-acclaimed green stimulus initiative, which has led to creation of thousands of green jobs for those rendered unemployed due to COVID-19 pandemic,” the the ambassador stressed during the meeting with PM’s aide Malik Amin.

He told the PM’s aide that the Chinese government, however, would deploy its financial, technological and knowledge resources to support Pakistan through its experiences in overall COVID-19 crisis management and post COVID-19 green recovery through enhanced investment in green sectors including forestry environmental protection and climate change resilience through mitigation and adaptation initiatives in the country’s climate-vulnerable socio-economic sectors.

Malik Amin Aslam also told the the Chinese ambassador that he appreciates his government’s interest and its offer to extend support to the green and clean initiatives launched under the Prime Minister Imran Khan vision for clean and green Pakistan under the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami Programme for overall environmental conservation and protection and Pakistan’s climate resilience building.

“It’s, of course, our pleasure to hear that the Chinese government is looking towards opportunities for jointly working and sharing its experiences regarding promotion of clean and renewable energy, environmental conservation, air pollution mitigation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, efficient water management and disaster risk reduction,” Malik Amin emphasised.

He remarked that the world today has been forced to accept that it is the destruction of wildlife habitats as well as the degradation of the world’s ecosystems that are the root cause of the pandemic — COVID-19.

“However, this ongoing catastrophe is painfully reminding us that collectively we no longer have a choice but to take care of the natural limits and boundaries of our coexistence with other species. Nature, while reclaiming lost space, seems to be rebalancing our relationship with it,” he highlighted.