Development of China's Shaanxi impresses Pakistani delegation

XI'AN: The growth rate of China's Northwestern Shaanxi province and the balance in rural urban development has impressed the visiting Pakistani delegation who wished to emulate the same model back home to achieve sustainablity.

A delegation of Pakistani politicians on Monday met with the Vice Governor of Shaanxi at the ancient city of Xi'an, which is also the provincial capital.

A 20-member delegation of politicians mainly from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtwnkha is on a visit to Xi'an city to meet the provincial leadership of the Communist Party of China and study the development model of one of the most fast developing regions of China.

The political parties represented in the delegation are Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMap), Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) and Balochistan National Party (BNP-M).

The Vice Governor of the province apprised the members of the importance of Shaanxi province in China's history and the development the region has achieved in the past few decades. The dignitary highlighted the siginifance of Pak-CHina freisndhip.

Pakistan and China are all weather strategic partners and Islamabad was one of the first capitals in the world who recognized China and established diplomatic relationships, he recalled. 

The two countries have carried out vast cooperation in multiple fields and Chinese people have special feelings and intimacy towards Pakistanis.

The name "Shaanxi" means Land West of the Shanguan Pass, according the official website.

 It covers an area of over 205,000 km2  with about 38 million people.

Declared as the  the sister city of Lahore in early 90s, Xi'an  includes the sites of the former Chinese capitals Fenghao and Chang'an. 

 Xianyang, which served as the Qin capital, is located nearby. The other prefecture-level cities into which the province is divided are Ankang, Baoji, Hanzhong, Shangluo, Tongchuan, Weinan, Yan'an and Yulin.

Shaanxi is one of the most prosperous provinces of the country, contributing in industrial, agriculture and aviation fields, the official informed the delegates. The fossil fuel and high technology sectors compose the two largest industries in the province. It ranked third in China for production of coal, natural gas and crude oil.

As the home of several of the leading universities and research institutes in Western China, Shaanxi province also plays a major role in China's burgeoning aircraft and aerospace industries, producing more than 50% of the R&D and manufacturing equipment for the country's domestic commercial air industry. Nominal provincial GDP for 2011 was US$196.7 billion and GDP per capita was US$3,179, ranking 17th in the PRC, which has now touched US$8,000, he added.

The region prodcues about 1/4 of total apple output and 1/6 of total world output. 

The tea and kiwi output are too the highest in the country. Shaanxi is among the top five technology centres, where more than 100 institutes and labs are working and nearly 1000 R&D centers are working.

The Vice Governor hoped that visit of Pakistani delegation will promote relationship between the Balochistan prince and the two brotherly countries.

The head of Pakistani side PTI's Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind, thanked him for the warm welcome and invited the vice governor to visit Balochistan province. Rind hoped that they will enumulate the learnings into thier cities which willl help bring prospoerity like Shaanxi.

During the visit, Pakistani delegation will also hold meetings with officials of Shaanxi Provincial Party School of the CPC and Provincial Development and Reform Commission.