Roundable: Realisation of dreams a matter of time for China and Pakistan: diplomat

The need to improve relations political, strategic and economic levels stressed.

There’s no doubt that railway and energy lines between China and Pakistan are doable. This is because when it comes to the relations between two friendly neighbours, realisation of dreams is only a matter of time, said former Chinese ambassador Lu Shulin according to two separate press releases.

The ambassador attended a roundtable organised at the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) on Friday for the Chinese delegation.

Zhao Gang, another former Chinese ambassador and head of the delegation, said that China’s relationship with Pakistan is a mutually beneficial partnership in which both countries treat one other as equal partners.

Lu dubbed the Karakoram Highway (KKH) a symbol of Pak-China friendship and added that the Chinese government would do all that it can to resolve the problems arising out of the blockade of KKH by Attabad Lake. He saw great potential in Pak-China relations in the fields of energy and economic cooperation, and infrastructure development.

“Roads, railways, energy infrastructure, and ports are a must for economic progress,” he said, terming economic development an important source of political stability. He added that Chinese companies were interested in investing in Pakistan, but were usually deterred by the security concerns of their personnel.

Zhao stressed the need for implementation of the already concluded agreements and memoranda of understanding between the two countries. On the subject of the future of Afghanistan, Zhao said that China wanted a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan that would have friendly relations with all its neighbours, including China and Pakistan. He added that China wanted to see good Indo-Pak and Pak-US relations, as long as maintaining those good relations do not come at the cost of compromising Pakistan’s vital interests.

IRS President Ashraf Azim said that China and Pakistan needed to improve people-to-people contact by promoting student and youth exchange programmes.

Senior Fellow at IRS Brig. Bashir Ahmed stressed the need for enhanced cooperation between China and Pakistan in the fields of infrastructure development, urban planning, and bilateral trade.

The two Chinese diplomats also visited the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) on Friday morning. Zhou, talking about Pak-China economic cooperation, said that Gawadar Port and the KKH were once a dream but now they are a reality. Similarly the Pak-China pipeline would also one day become a reality. He said it is time not only to think big but also to act big.

Ambassador Lu Shulin said that there is a great scope for cooperation in sectors like energy, agriculture, infrastructure and science and technology.

He said that by modernising farming Pakistan, can increase the number of crops per year eliminating the need for high cost mega industrial projects.

He said that relations between countries should revolve around economic development and trade. This, he said, is the best way to bring countries closer together and strengthen the prospects of peace in the region.

Renowned businessman and economist Dr Kamal Monnoo also spoke and emphasised the need for expansion of economic ties between the two countries at the corporate level also.

At the end of the discussion Dr Nuri, Acting President IPRI, concluded that in the present age economics was the name of the game and policies should pivot around this reality.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2012.