Pakistan, China to establish joint economic forum

Pakistan and China have agreed to establish a joint economic forum and to adopt measures to increase economic cooperation.

Pakistan and China have agreed to establish a joint economic forum and a meeting would soon be held in Islamabad to adopt measures to increase economic cooperation between the two countries.

This was decided in meetings between President Asif Ali Zardari and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and chairperson of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference Jia Qinglin held in Beijing on Thursday.

The joint forum will take up issues such as currency swap, opening of branches of Chinese banks in Pakistan and relocating industries in special proposed industrial zones in Pakistan. The Chinese commerce minister will lead his country’s delegation at the talks. The China National Energy Administration will also hold discussions with Pakistani authorities on how best to tackle Pakistan’s energy needs.

In the meeting, the National Trade Corridor (NTC) was also discussed. The NTC programme aims to modernise the trade, transportation and logistics system in Pakistan to provide improved regional connectivity.

Speaking about the closure of Karakoram Highway (KKH) due to a landslide in January, President Zardari said that the highway’s disruption had demonstrated the need for establishing a railway link between the two countries. They discussed the 500-million-dollar project for upgrading the KKH, which is 800 kilometres long and an important trade and strategic link for Pakistan to China and Central Asia.  China is assisting Pakistan in improving a section of the KKH, the 335-kilometre-long Khunjrab-Raikot section, and its construction is expected to be complete by 2012.

Zardari said that Pakistan required international assistance in this time of crisis, which was why it was stressing on trade and not aid. “Access to international markets would help promote industrial activity in the country and generate employment to help engage Pakistani youth in productive activities,” he said, adding that Sino-Pak trade relations fell short of their potential and must be stepped up.

President Zardari also briefed the Chinese leaders on Pakistan’s fight against militancy and the political support for it in the country. Prime Minister Wen said that China deeply appreciated Pakistan’s fight against extremism and pledged his country’s unflinching support.

The meeting with Jiabao was followed by separate meetings with Chen Lei, the Chinese minister for water resources, and Han Changfu, the Chinese minister for agriculture.

Earlier, President Zardari inaugurated a photo exhibition at the Tsinghua University, Beijing. The exhibition focuses on the Moenjodaro and Gandhara civilizations, which prominently displayed photographs of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and former PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto along with a painting of revered Chinese leader Mao Tse Tung.

The week-long exhibition displays photos of relics and artifacts of the ancient civilisations and rare photographs of   the Bhuttos, and has been organised by the Tsinghua Centre for Pakistan Culture and Communication.

Speaking at the exhibition, President Zardari said that China and Pakistan had great civilisational, cultural and historical similarities and were part of the same civilisation. “We enjoy a rich history of knowledge-sharing as generations of Chinese scholars, travellers, historians and Buddhist monks have been engaged in learning at the Taxila University of Gandhara Civilisation,” he said.

Zardari was introduced to the university’s faculty members and in his remarks in the guest book, he wrote: “It is a real pleasure to visit Tsinghua University which is a centre of academic  excellence in China and a nursery of outstanding scientists , engineers and scholars who have steered China’s path to progress and modernity. It is no less a tribute to its accomplishments that Chinese President Hu Jintao has been a student at this distinguished university and is now leading this great nation. It is my hope that the Pakistan Study Centre established at this university will help bring the academic communities of the two countries closer and to take our time-tested, all-weather friendship from generation to generation.”

President Zardari met Jintao on Wednesday and returns home on Sunday. He is accompanied by his daughters Bakhtawar and Aseefa Bhutto Zardari.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2010.