'Room still for closer cooperation with China’

Sartaj Aziz says strategic partnership must include cooperation in academia, technology

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China enjoy brotherly ties to which history bears testimony.

This was stated by Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz while inaugurating the Pakistan-China Study Centre at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) on Friday.

Aziz said that China’s rise was creating an atmosphere of harmonious prosperity in the region. He added that the strategic cooperative partnership must also include enhanced, pragmatic and meaningful cooperation in research, academia, science and technology.



“We are fortunate to be at the centre of this wave of economic connectivity,” the advisor said, adding, “There is still room for closer cooperation, exchange of ideas exchange and knowledge sharing which will lead to common development.”

Talking about the centre, Aziz said that it was a promising addition and that think tanks were the nerve centres for pursuing research projects and scholarly exchange.

He went on to highlight the role of think tanks and research institutes in providing vision, guidelines and knowledge creation and in this regard, think tanks in Pakistan must be linked with their counterparts in China to enhance people-people cooperation and exchange of knowledge.

“I am confident that the timely initiative of establishing this centre will provide the policy makers and intelligentsia the key resources to fully understand contours of bilateral relations between Pakistan and China and also provide opportunities to explore and expand cooperation,” he said.

“Through knowledge and experience sharing, both countries can learn, grow and progress together in the light of shared vision of common development and shared prosperity.”

Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong remarked that the centre was the latest outcome of the close cooperation between China and Pakistan.

“With this initiative, the level of interest in China Studies at ISSI has reached a brand new level,” Weidong said, adding that China’s example of becoming the second largest economy in the world through perseverance and hard work has been exemplary.



He noted how the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of the One Belt, One Road Initiative (OBOR) would further cement ties between Pakistan and China.

“These two countries are all-weather friends and shall continue to enhance cooperation to take their partnership to new heights,” he said.

Earlier, ISSI Chairman Ambassador Khalid Mahmood remarked that the inauguration of CPSC at the Institute symbolises the evergreen friendship between the two countries.

The centre will provide policy proposals on solidifying China-Pakistan ties and their findings would be published in the form of books, reports and CPSC newsletter.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 17^th, 2017.