CHINESE Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing has said that Pakistan has the “greatest potential” to be the hub of regional connectivity and trade. In an interview, Yao, who previously served as China’s Ambassador to Afghanistan, said that he has spoken to Afghan leaders and society who are “very keen” to not only have motorway links with Pakistan but also more railway links.
What the Chinese envoy has said are not mere words as Beijing has also been extending material assistance to Pakistan to exploit its potential to become regional hub of connectivity and trade. All round development of Gwadar Port and construction of Western, Eastern and Central routes under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are steps in the same direction. Similarly, establishment of special economic zones under the framework of CPEC would also accelerate the pace of industrialization and Pakistan would be able to export surplus to the outside world especially the regional countries. Pakistan has long been aspiring to develop necessary infrastructure to give a boost to its trade with Afghanistan and its extension to Central Asia. However, the instability and uncertainty in Afghanistan has been a major obstacle to realization of this goal and in this backdrop it is appreciable that China is also instrumental in finding avenues for peaceful and negotiated settlement of the longstanding conflict in Afghanistan. It has hosted and sponsored several round of talks on the Afghan issue and its viewpoint is listened to both by Kabul Government and Taliban seriously because of Beijing’s sincerity towards the cause of peace and security in Afghanistan. We hope that with the restoration of normalcy in Afghanistan, projects like motorways and railway links would be undertaken and other regional connectivity projects including TAPI gas pipeline and CASA-1000 would also receive boost and start yielding desired benefits for all participating countries. Afghanistan’s joining of CPEC would also be in the interest of Afghanistan itself and the region.
