Daily Times

Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday said the Pakistan-China partnership was unparalleled among inter-state relations. “The history of our friendship is a unique account of unwavering mutual support, mutual trust and mutual respect. Nurtured by successive generations of our leadership and peoples across seven decades, this iron-brotherhood has blossomed into a strong and vibrant All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership,” he said in an article published by Global Times.

He said their relationship was time-tested and timeless, which transcended the normal precepts of inter-state relations and had withstood the vicissitudes of regional and global developments.

“The grand celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of our diplomatic ties last year helped in injecting a new vigour and vitality to our friendship,” he added. Imran Khan said, “For us in Pakistan, relations with China are the cornerstone of our foreign policy enjoying support across the political spectrum. I can say with great confidence that our people fully understand the real value of this friendship and enthusiastically contribute to its splendor and glory. No wonder special metaphors have been coined to illustrate its depth and intensity; the expression Ba Tie only reserved for Pakistanis in China is one such example.

“In the next few days, I will be arriving in Beijing to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games. Being a sportsperson myself, I can very well relate to the spirit that sporting events like Olympics instill in a nation. I strongly feel that sports should be a unifying factor and should transcend politics. I congratulate the leadership and people of China for hosting this mega event and wish all participants safe, healthy and successful games.” The prime minister said since his last visit to China in October 2019, the world had undergone a profound transformation. COVID-19, the biggest contemporary challenge, continued to negatively impact lives and livelihoods across the globe. Climate change, he added, was yet another monster staring down “our eyes with the potential to disrupt all that humankind has achieved to date”.

Imran Khan said,” The imperatives of geopolitics have engendered new alignments in our region, which to many, are reminiscent of ideological confrontation of the last century. Instability and turmoil that plagued Afghanistan for the past 20 years have come close with a hope of peace finally returning to the region. The international community’s engagement is essential to avoid economic meltdown and avert humanitarian crisis in that country.”

“The present challenges, colossal as they be, nevertheless stress the need for international cooperation and call for rekindling the spark of multilateralism for peace and prosperity in our region and beyond. As President Xi Jinping pertinently mentioned in his recent address to World Economic Forum. “Amidst the raging torrents of global crisis, countries are not riding separately in some 190 small boats, but are rather all in a giant ship on which our shared destiny hinges.”

The prime minister said history bore witness to the fact that Pakistan and China had jointly traversed such epochal changes in the past and emerged successful. “Our two countries have always supported each other on matters of core national interests.

It is our common vision that enduring peace in South Asia is contingent on maintaining a strategic balance in the region and all outstanding issues like border questions and the Kashmir dispute should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy and as per norms of international law.”

“Our bilateral cooperation against COVID-19 further validates the strength of our friendship. As iron brothers, Pakistan solidly stood by China after the outbreak of the pandemic. From President Arif Alvi’s solidarity visit to Beijing to the dispatch of over 60 planeloads of Chinese anti-epidemic goods to Pakistan, emerged a shining example of mutual support and goodwill. Chinese vaccines have now become the mainstay of Pakistan’s ongoing mass vaccination drive.”

He said Pakistan was charting a new path for robust and sustainable development and making efforts to harness its potential as a geo-economics hub. “The new National Security Policy of Pakistan centers on my government’s vision of people-centric approach for ensuring their prosperity, fundamental rights and social justice.” “In pursuance of these objectives”, he added, “we draw inspiration from China’s achievements; be it the miraculous lifting of 800 million people out of absolute poverty or victory in people’s war against the pandemic.

“As a friend, neighbour and partner, Pakistan has much to offer to the people, enterprises and business persons of China. Pakistan has a rich history, cultural diversity and majestic landscapes. With a population of 220 million people, young and skilled labour force, strategic location, friendly investment regime and warm sentiments for the Chinese people, Pakistan welcomes you for your next investment and next leisure trip.”

Imran Khan said China had lately become Pakistan’s largest trade and investment partner. Bilateral trade reached historic levels in 2021. Many Chinese enterprises had established strong presence in Pakistan and were contributing to its socio-economic growth.

“China can become a huge market for Pakistan’s livestock and agricultural products. Similarly, Pakistan can benefit from Chinese expertise in industrialization, agricultural modernization, e-commerce and digital finance.”

He said Pakistan was one of the earliest participants of President Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative. As the flagship project of the BRI, CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) had immense economic and strategic significance for the two countries. “There is complete consensus in Pakistan on CPEC’s indispensability for Pakistan’s national development. My government is fully committed to making CPEC a High Quality Demonstration Project of BRI.”

CPEC, the prime minister said, had been instrumental in addressing Pakistan’s chronic energy crisis and improving connectivity through infrastructure development. “We are also making rapid progress on the development of Gwadar Port and Special Economic Zones which would benefit the entire region.”

He said n o quantum of development was meaningful unless its fruits trickled down to the underprivileged section of society. “My vision, therefore, is aimed at rooting out poverty and empowering the people of Pakistan to become masters of their own destiny.”

Phase-II of CPEC, he added, had, therefore, accordingly been designed for job creation, industrial modernization, livelihood improvement, rural revitalization, socio-economic development and poverty alleviation. “Complementing these projects is my government’s flagship initiative called “Ehsaas,” a large social security network for poverty alleviation and upward social mobility.”