SIGNALING of President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to China is a setback to regional enemies of prosperity, connectivity, stability and harmony and realignment disturbing strategic design of the global movers & shakers.
The visit has been dominated by the safety and security of the Chinese nationals living and working on the CPEC projects, space & science cooperation and system support at the height levels and secret agencies curbing the menace of increasing terrorism in the country. It seems that Army Chief Gen Asim Munir’s strong commitment to carrying out an existential fight with a faceless enemy, hunting down “frenemies” has a perfect match with the Chinese side’s genuine demands of safety, security and system support for its nationals and the CPEC projects in the country.
Interestingly, Pakistan and China have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) allowing Pakistan’s first lunar rover to be part of China’s Chang’E 8 mission, SUPARCO. The Chang’E 8 mission, scheduled for launch in 2028, will focus on robotic exploration of the lunar South Pole. Last year, SUPARCO announced that its rover would be part of the mission, but the formal agreement was finalised during President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to China this week. The numerous meetings of President Asif Ali Zardari with the Chinese higher leadership demonstrated high levels of mutual understanding, cooperation, coordination and collaboration on the speedy execution of the CPEC Phase 2.0, further strengthening the Pakistan-China strategic cooperative partnership.
During his meeting with the Chinese Premier, President Zardari highlighted the “enduring and deep-rooted China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, nurtured by successive generations of the leaders of both countries.” He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening bilateral ties, emphasising the time-tested, deep-rooted and enduring partnership between the two countries. Zardari rightly projected the pivotal role of the CPEC in promoting regional connectivity and economic growth and expressed appreciation for China’s continued support towards Pakistan’s development agenda.” It is a good omen that during the meeting, the two sides discussed the high-quality development under CPEC 2.0, focusing on deepening cooperation in renewable energy, science & technology, infrastructure and agriculture sectors to advance shared progress and common prosperity further.
Additionally, further enhancement of trade and economic cooperation through business-to-business (B2B) and private-sector linkages and the expansion of people-to-people and cultural exchanges would contribute to building a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era. During his ongoing visit to China, President Asif Ali Zardari met his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to reaffirm the long-standing strategic partnership between the two nations and explore new avenues of cooperation under CPEC 2.0. The two leaders also discussed regional and international issues of common interest and opportunities to expand bilateral cooperation, mainly through continued high-level exchanges. They emphasized the vital role of CPEC in promoting regional connectivity, shared benefits and common prosperity, including partnerships with other countries.
On an official visit to China, President Zardari reaffirmed Pakistan’s steadfast commitment to its “all-weather strategic cooperative partnership” with China and underlined the “unique, time-tested and special relationship” between the two countries. He also commended China’s exemplary development, progress and prosperity, calling it a manifestation of the Chinese leadership’s vision and the Chinese people’s dynamism. President Zardari also paid rich tribute to President Xi Jinping for China’s profound contributions to global development under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). He described CPEC as a shining model of the BRI’s visionary concept of win-win cooperation. He invited President Xi to visit Pakistan, emphasising that the people and Government of Pakistan hold him in high esteem as a visionary leader and a special friend of Pakistan.
The meeting was followed by a ceremony where the two leaders witnessed the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to enhance cooperation in science and technology, media, clean energy and socio-economic development. In summary, the visit of President Zardari was timely, removing all speculations and diplomatic engineering about the so-called slowdown of iron-clad friendship and declining growth of the CPEC Phase 2.0 in the country. It was meaningful, collaborative, productive, positive and participatory, showing the Government of Pakistan’s strong commitment to providing ample arrangements for the safety and security of the Chinese in the country. Thus, Zardari’s political wisdom and charisma prevailed and produced productive results. It was innovative and development-oriented and signed various MoUs on cooperation in space & sciences, renewables, socio-economic development, and counter-terrorism between the two countries.
Further enhancing intelligence sharing and deepening cooperation on security matters, as part of efforts to bolster border security and counterterrorism measures, is an excellent outcome of the official meetings. It is suggested that modernizing Pakistan’s police and paramilitary forces through Chinese technology and expertise, regular police training, acquiring advanced equipment from China to improve law enforcement capabilities, drone surveillance at porous borders, the hybrid model of security, and last but not least, the inclusion of robotic gadgetry and forces countering the threats of terrorism should be way forward. To conclude, the walled city multi-layered and scientific security model for the Chinese living in the country and working in the CPEC projects would be further systemized and institutionalized.
—The writer is the President of the Pak-China Corridor of Knowledge, Executive Director of CSAIS, and regional expert on China, CPEC & BRI.
