In a broadcast message immediately after Independence of the country, its founder Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah described the principles and objectives of Pakistan’s foreign policy. He firmly declared “Our objective should be peace within and peace without. We want to live peacefully and maintain cordial and friendly relations with our immediate neighbours and with (the) world at large. We have no aggressive designs against any one. We stand by the United Nations Charter and will gladly make our contribution to the peace and prosperity of the world.” In line with this vision of the Quaid, Pakistan has consistently been endeavouring to have the best of relations with all countries of the globe and especially so with its neighbours but the success of this policy is exemplified in Sino-Pak relations, which have become a model of friendship since 1950 mainly because the two countries have a shared vision of regional and global peace, mutuality of interests and their relationship is firmly based on sovereign equality.
It was in this backdrop that Pakistan became the lead partner of China when its towering leader President Xi Jinping launched his historic vision of shared prosperity under the banner of ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI). The flagship project of the BRI China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – has become a living example of the resounding success of the Chinese President’s plan to link all continents of the globe through a network of infrastructure projects and economic ventures.
It is a historic reality that China and Pakistan demonstrated throughout their sincerity for each other from the very beginning of the journey of their partnership. Chinese leaders and people acknowledge the fact that Pakistan was the first country in the Muslim world to formally recognize and officially establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. Pakistan also opened an air corridor for China to reach out to the world and supported Beijing’s bid for restoration of its lawful seat in the United Nations. It is also known to the observers of Sino-Pakistan relations that Pakistan facilitated initial contacts between China and the United States. It is a matter of record that Pakistan consistently been adhering to one-China policy and this was reiterated recently by President Asif Ali Zardari, who emphasized during an interview with the Chinese media that Pakistan always chooses to stand on the right side of the history and that is why it considers Taiwan as inalienable part of China. Pakistan firmly supports the Chinese government’s every effort to achieve national reunification and opposes any form of Taiwan independence. Pakistan steadfastly extended support to China on issues like the South China Sea, Hong Kong and Xinjiang, rejecting baseless propaganda against the friendly countries on the pretext of human rights.
A memorable moment of friendship and collaboration between Faisal Zahid Malik, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of Pakistan Observer, H.E. Jiang Zaidong, Ambassador of China to Pakistan, and his wife.
The policy of the Chinese leadership vis-à-vis Pakistan has always been a source of satisfaction and morale boosting for people of Pakistan, who otherwise feel discriminated against because of the jaundiced approach of some powers on issues of political, economic, regional and global interest to Pakistan. In the leadership level
interaction the Chinese side has all along reiterated its steadfast support for Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty, national independence and territorial integrity, in pursuing a development path suited to Pakistan’s national conditions and achieving economic
prosperity, in firmly combating terrorism, and in playing a bigger role in regional and international affairs. This is not a hollow slogan as China has been providing critical fiscal, economic, political, diplomatic and military support to complement efforts of Pakistan to stabilize its economy and boost security and defence in the face of a myriad of challenges and threats.
Some recent developments highlight the depth and magnitude of the mutual understanding and partnership of the two countries for their mutual good, especially the keen interest of the Chinese leadership in progress and development of Pakistan and welfare of its people. In an extraordinary development, President Xi Jinping sent a
congratulatory message to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on his birthday, reiterating the firm resolve of his country to continue to extend all-round cooperation to its strategic partner Pakistan. As China considers Pakistan its highest priority in foreign relations, Islamabad too considers China as corner-stone of its foreign policy.
The contribution that the game changer initiative of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is making to the socio-economic progress of Pakistan and connectivity has helped forged consensus in Pakistan about the need to take full benefit of this historic opportunity to address the country’s some of the chronic problems, especially in the realm of infrastructure, power sector, boosting productivity of the agriculture sector and bringing about an industrial revolution. Apart from the continued interest being shown by Chinese companies to invest in special economic zones in Pakistan, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was recently signed between the Board of Investment (BoI) and RUYI Shandong Group of China for establishment of textile parks of international standards in Pakistan. This is a significant development towards optimum exploitation of the country’s productivity and exports in the textile sector and could work as a motivational force for other Chinese companies to establish their ventures in Pakistan both for local consumption and exports. In the first phase, these parks are expected to generate exports worth two billion dollars, while in the second phase, exports are likely to reach five billion dollars. These textile parks will provide employment opportunities to around half a million locals.
In another encouraging development, the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) and Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Company Limited (CCDC), China’s largest oil and gas producer and a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation, have signed an MoU for development of shale and tight gas potential of Pakistan.
It may also be pointed out that multiple Chinese companies are involved in the process of producing electric vehicles in Pakistan including BYD and Skywell Automobiles. Presently, the focus is on assembly of vehicles but both the companies have plans for local manufacturing with the passage of time.
People of Pakistan are thankful to their Chinese friends for their active collaboration in addressing the challenges facing in the energy sector. China helped overcome the menace of load-shedding by establishing crucial power plants under the early harvest programme of the CPEC. It is also providing valuable cooperation in harnessing the potential of solar power and establishment of nuclear power plants, which are cleaner and reliable sources of energy. According to Chairman, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Dr. Raja Ali Raza Anwar, Pakistan is building its largest (1200 MW) nuclear power plant in Mianwali with the assistance of China, which would be a giant step forward in increasing the share of the nuclear power to the national grid.
The developments that I have mentioned are tip of an iceberg as far as bilateral partnership in various spheres of life is concerned as well as prospects of its full potential. This newspaper has repeatedly been pointing out that China has a commitment and willingness to extend fullest possible cooperation in developing Pakistan’s economy and it is now up to our planners and decision-makers to take proper advantage of this window of opportunity.
