CHINA and Pakistan are time-tested, all weather, trustworthy friends. Their enviable friendship has withstood all challenges and tests over the years as leadership of both the countries remain committed not to allow any breach or dent in their time-tested friendship on any account or attempts from some hostile elements from time to time. Mutually trusted and beneficial friendship between great neighbouring countries is further strengthened, promoted and consolidated with the exchange of visits by the highest level leadership and delegations as and when these take place on mutual understanding and need at the appropriate level of both the countries.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar has just paid an official visit to China which was quite productive, result-oriented and fruitful in more than one respect. The visit also coincided with another milestone in the bilateral ties as both China and Pakistan were celebrating the 10th anniversary of CPEC. This was his yet another foreign visit since he assumed power in mid-August 2023. He undertook the visit at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the 3rd Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) forum for International Cooperation held on October 17 and 18 in Beijing which was attended by about 140 heads of states and governments from all over the world.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar’s quite significant visit, to say the least, quite obviously emphatically reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to continue working and ensure timely completion of great game changer China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects a major flagship under the banner of BRI initiative besides profusely advocating the dire need for continuing making collective efforts for regional connectivity and shared prosperity. Addressing the high level Forum of BRI Forum on “Connectivity in an Open Global Economy”, the visiting Pakistani leader duly appreciated President Xi’s vision for creating a global community with shared future and the BRI which were of immense significance for working and ensuring global connectivity, economic development and shared prosperity. The visiting Pakistani leader told Chinese President that relationship with China was the cornerstone of his country’s foreign policy that Pakistan stands by China and trusts it blindly, called for resolving lingering, burning Kashmir issue in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions in a peaceful manner and reiterated Pakistan’s continued support to One China.
At the end of the official visit, a joint statement was simultaneously issued from Beijing and Islamabad containing 31 points altogether. Briefly it stated that Pakistan and China have reiterated the resolve to move forward together on the path of development and accelerate the building of an even closer Pak-China community with a shared future in the new era, reaffirmed their support for each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, also reaffirmed that mutual trust remained at the core of China-Pakistan relationship, agreed that China and Pakistan are All Weather Strategic Partners and iron brothers and friendship between the two countries is time-tested and unbreakable and also recognized that China-Pakistan economic Corridor (CPEC) , as a pioneering project of the BRI, has yielded fruitful outcomes n the ten years since its inception and has now entered a new state of high-quality development.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Kakar while going through hectic schedule of meetings and other engagements, also availed the opportunity to meet a number of world leaders on the sidelines of the BRI Forum’s deliberations and discussed with them matters of mutual interest and measures to further boost his country’s friendly relations for mutual benefits. They included Chinese Premier Li Qiang, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, Kazakhstan President Kassym Joman Tokoev, President of Sri Lanka Ranil Vickremesinghe, President of Kenya William Ruto among others. He also held meetings with the CEOs and Executives of a number of leading Chinese companies and urged and encouraged them to explore and avail the vast investment potential and opportunities of Pakistan and also visited Urumqi, met there Member of CPC’s central Committee Ms Xingrui and also addressed the students of Xinjiang University.
During the visit, China and Pakistan signed as many as 20 agreements and Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) covering cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), infrastructure, mining, industry, green and low-carbon development. Health, space cooperation, digital economy, development cooperation and export of agriculture products to China. The Pakistani leader along with his Chinese hosts witnessed the signing of the agreements and MoUs by members of the high-level delegation which had accompanied Anwarul Haq Kakar in the official visit. Details of these agreements and MoUs will be given separately in some detail as and when these are available from the official quarters concerned.
Besides PM Anarul Haq Kakar, other dignitaries who participated in the forum included the Russian Federation President, the Ethiopian Prime Minister, the Sri Lankan President, the Republic of Congo President, the Papua New Guinea Prime Minister, the Prime Minister of Cambodia. The President of Argentine, the Hungarian Prime Minister and the President of Indonesia to mention just some of the large number of them present for want of space please.
The outcome of Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Kakar’s successful and productive and forward looking maiden visit to the most friendly country China cannot be fully covered in all fairness and justifiably and as such there will be more later covering the prospects of further boosting cooperation under the great game changer CPEC framework in due course of time, please.
—The writer is Lahore-based freelance journalist, columnist and retired Deputy Controller (News), Radio Pakistan, Islamabad.
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