PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that Pakistan aims to enhance its collaboration with China in areas such as information technology, artificial intelligence, modern agriculture and other sectors. Talking to Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong, who is instrumental in bringing the two countries closer in diverse fields, the PM praised the Chinese leadership’s vision to consistently enhance Pakistan-China strategic relations and collaborate on upgrading the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The desire of the Prime Minister to forge ties with China is understandable as Beijing never hesitated to consider all requests for mutual collaboration in different fields and that too in areas prioritized by Islamabad. It is because of this that with the passage of time, the role and contribution of China in the development of Pakistan’s economy is increasing at a fast pace as new areas are being identified for collaborative partnership. There is every reason to believe that the Prime Minister really meant what he said as he himself has been closely associated with all moves aimed at increasing bilateral cooperation. His last visit to China was highly successful as the two countries signed 23 agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) in a myriad of fields including cooperation on agriculture, infrastructure, industrial cooperation, inter-governmental development assistance, market regulation, surveying and mapping, media and film. The seriousness of the PM can be gauged by the fact that he himself is closely monitoring the follow up to ensure speedy implementation of the understanding for cooperation between the leadership of the two countries. It was in this backdrop that his Government has decided to respond firmly and decisively to counter designs of the enemy to harm progress on the crucial CPEC as highlighted by a series of terrorist attacks and sabotage activities in Balochistan. There is legitimate thinking that an opportunity exists in Pakistan to bring lots of Chinese energy-intensive industry to the country where a lot of surplus power can essentially be used but for this to happen, security concerns will have to be addressed promptly and comprehensively. Similarly, as recommended by experts at a roundtable discussion on “Narratives on the CPEC and Role of Media” hosted by Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), a proactive approach is required to counter propaganda against the CPEC.
