S M Naveed
OVER the course of time, the world has seen various changes from physical attributes to spiritual growth and political warfare to economic welfare. China’s research and development work has bewildered the world for its achievements in all spheres of life; especially the economic development enriched with the modern industrial technology has made China a super economic power at international level. Fortunately China, besides being our neighbour is also an all-weather friend; be it the war or peace, China has been extending material and moral support to Pakistan. The climax of such friendly relations has resulted into the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. This corridor has opened up a number of new vistas for development of trade, industry and investment for Pakistan.
Although, the government and local trade bodies are working hard to get maximum outcome of the given opportunities, yet we, the businessmen, having prior experience of collaboration with Chinese business community gathered in the leadership of renowned businessman Mr. Shah Faisal Afridi to gear up the game changer mega project of CPEC in the wider and equal interest of both the nations. Our reasoning brought Pakistan-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) on ground. Immediately after setting up PCJCCI, we realized that the heavy waives of business opportunities emerging from CPEC in favour of Pakistan were not being conceived because of the language barrier. So, a series of Chinese language classes were organized at PCJCCI on an emergent basis to remove this basic fence. The same problem was also identified by Chinese businessmen. They, too, launched a move to promote Urdu language learning in China. Such efforts made at both ends have helped a lot to remove the language barrier between Pakistan and China and now both the nations are at equal ease to explore the business and investment opportunities.
The easy communication and coordination spurred the exchange of frequent delegations between the two countries, which highlighted the significance of knowledge that had helped lay down a strong foundation for Chinese economic development. We found that China had formulated its all development strategies on the basis of solid scientific as well as economic research. Such research has led China to be the richest knowledge reservoir of the world. We, being highly impressed of the Chinese knowledge, formed a think tank at PCJCCI and started discussing Chinese models of development in agriculture, industry, energy, food, infrastructure, technology and even the education system. We sent our students and youth delegations last year to study Chinese model of development. The youth delegations, returning from Chinese study tours gave the feedback that special initiatives must be taken to transfer the knowledge gained by China through extensive research. Basing upon the feedback, we suggested the Government of Pakistan to form a knowledge corridor in collaboration with Chinese universities and research organizations. But, prevailing Corona crisis diverted the attention of our government from development to safety of lives. But, this is encouraging that our government is sharing experiments on the Corona preventive vaccination prepared by China, which can be considered as an initial knowledge and research sharing initiative that will lead to a systematic and sustainable coloration towards knowledge sharing between China and Pakistan.
We are opportune to be on top of the friendship list of China. The Chinese government is very open towards sharing its development, knowledge and expertise in all spheres of life. But, we believe that it is not the mere responsibility of government to do good for the nation. The nation itself should also be pro-active for taking initiatives for larger interest of the country. Therefore, we have created our very own “Knowledge Portal” between the two friendly states. As the name suggests, this portal is very dynamic and especially designed to address the problems and issues regarding import and export. The sole purpose for this step was to enhance the relations between the two nations and to exchange expert knowledge and opinions. Regarding Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR). PCJCCI aims to provide speedy and accurate resolution of disputes through online commercial courts. This will surely lead to better opportunities and connections between the trade of Pakistan and China.
The vision that we hold is to bring China’s research and adequate economic knowledge to Pakistan. This will not only lead us to a better tomorrow but also open up new job opportunities for the young blood. The first step of this knowledge portal is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR). Different laws related to banking, immigration and SECP will be shared and highlighted through this portal. Not only that, this portal will allow the usual public of both the nations to share and explore scope of import and export. The list of top ten exporters and importers will be shared on a regular basis through this knowledge portal. The people of Pakistan and China will be able to post various job opportunities on this portal simultaneously.
The Knowledge Portal is aptly named such for various reasons that are intended to help the region expand, having a world-class talent development system to match its industries, colleges, universities, companies and hospitals. Along with this, the governments of both the nations will also be able to interact with the people on a platform. Just like the Chinese governments’ official web portal and the Pakistan’s PM portal, this portal will have all the necessary information regarding both the nations. Indeed, portals like these are not only a viable asset to a country but are also a great way for the officials and citizens of a country to interact on a mutual platform. Keeping that in mind, this is one of the most contemporary initiatives taken by the Pakistan China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
If the few steps for keeping this portal working are taken care of graciously, the portal will be a very fruitful platform. This portal could be the future of Pakistan, if it runs the way it is designed for. The very essence of it can only stay alive when both the friendly nations will put in equal attention and work into this initiative. In a world of technological transformations and changes occurring every day, this portal is definitely a breakthrough for a country like Pakistan. It is time for us to move along with this changing world and to attain new heights of triumph. The PCJCCI community is proud of this step and are more than enthused to take it to its conclusion.
—The writer is President Pak-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
