Pakistan to regain its position emulating China model: PM

BEIJING: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reiterated his resolve to make Pakistan a great nation and regain its position by following the Chinese development model through utmost hard work and a sharp focus on industrial and agricultural progress.

“If we follow the Chinese model, I have no doubt, Pakistan will regain its position in the comity of nations and will be respected like our Chinese brothers are done by friends and foes. We will follow your model, work hard untiringly, put in our sweat and blood, and make Pakistan a great country,” the prime minister said while addressing the 4th Pakistan-China Friendship and Business reception here.

He told the gathering of Pakistani and Chinese business leaders that Pakistan would follow Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vision to focus on progress and prosperity by avoiding conflicts and cited immense Chinese progress and projects like the Belt and Road Initiative, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI).

The prime minister, who is in China on a five-day official visit, advised the Pakistani people against dejection or losing hope, rather than standing up and accepting the challenge to reach the level of Chinese progress within a few years or decades. He said the China-Pakistan friendship had no parallel in the world which remained unshakeable and unreachable even during the storms, wars and earthquakes.

Recalling the Chinese journey of swift development to become the second biggest economic and military power under President Xi’s vision, Prime Minister Shehbaz said it was achieved only through hard work and untiring efforts. “All Pakistanis will also have to pass through this thorny process. There is no other way to earn respect in the world,” he remarked. He said China took its trade to trillions of dollars while Pakistan’s hovered around $30-40 billion in terms of exports. Besides, China has excelled in information technology and artificial intelligence. He also referred to the “wonderful” bilateral cooperation in space programme as Pakistan recently sent a lunar satellite and a space satellite recently with Chinese collaboration.

Referring to the sad and gruesome attack by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) killing five Chinese workers in Bisham in April, Shehbaz condemned the incident and conveyed his deepest condolence to the families of those who were killed.

He said the incident which sent a shockwave across Pakistan was the nefarious plot of enemies of Pakistan-China friendship and CPEC as well as those who did not want to see bilateral ties rising to the apex of glory. “I want to make a solemn pledge that whatever is humanly possible, we will put in all measures and arrangements to protect the lives of every Chinese citizen in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, KP, GB and AJK. I want to make a solemn commitment that the security of Chinese nationals will be more than that of my own and my children,” he assured.

Meanwhile, talking to Chairman of China Export-Import Bank (EXIM) Dr Wu Fulin here, the prime minister said the reform measures taken by his government had already started yielding results in the form of successfully tapered food inflation, reduced current account deficit and public debt down to a more sustainable level. The prime minister highlighted his government’s reform agenda focused on governance, taxation, and ease of doing business to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). He appreciated the EXIM Bank’s continued support for the modernisation of industries, agriculture and IT sectors of Pakistan. He also discussed the possible role of the China EXIM Bank in financing Pakistan-China joint venture projects and trade financing as part of efforts to boost Pakistan’s exports to international markets.

The EXIM Bank chairman underscored the critical role of economic and financial cooperation under CPEC phase II and China EXIM Bank’s strategic partnership with Pakistan and support to advance sustainable development under the concept of “shared prosperity”.

Separately, in a meeting with the chairman of Power China here, PM Shehbaz, reiterating his government’s commitment to strengthen the alternative energy system in the country, highlighted that there existed a huge potential for investment in the sector. The Power China chairman appreciated the high quality and swift completion of Sahiwal Coal Power Plant, also mentioning the ‘Pakistan Speed’ and ‘Punjab Speed’ in reference to the accelerated completion of development projects in tenures of Shehbaz Sharif as Punjab Chief Minister and prime minister. The company chairman told the prime minister that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would be signed with Pakistan to improve the power transmission network and reduce the line losses.

Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz invited the China Northern Industry Corporation (Norinco) to invest in Pakistan’s communications infrastructure project, particularly the Karachi Circular Railway. The prime minister, talking to the Norinco chairman, highlighted that the government was taking measures to bring ease of doing business and had established the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) for the purpose. The Norinco chairman particularly mentioned ‘Punjab Speed’ and ‘Pakistan Speed’, referring to the swift completion of development projects during Shehbaz Sharif’s stint, and also appreciated him for ensuring projects’ quality under his supervision. The company head recalled that under Shehbaz’s supervision, the Lahore Orange Line project was completed timely.

Later, a representative of Norinco, in a statement, said that in the meeting with the prime minister, they discussed the Lahore Orange Train project which was an important component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and a symbol of Pak-China friendship. He said both countries worked jointly on the said project and reiterated that Norinco would come up with new projects to continue contributing to Pakistan’s development.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday met the Chairman of China International Cooperation Agency (Cidca) Ambassador Luo Zhaohui wherein they exchanged views on the unique and enduring China-Pakistan friendship and the promotion of pragmatic cooperation driven by common development, strategic trust, and mutual benefit.

The prime minister, who arrived here Wednesday on the second leg of his five-day China visit, appreciated the robust support of Cidca for CPEC projects and Pakistan’s socioeconomic development, particularly the establishment of Pakistan-China Friendship Hospital, the Desalination Plant in Gwadar, and the New Gwadar International Airport. The Cidca chairman expressed commitment to further deepening China-Pakistan cooperation across diverse fields.

He also underlined the need to expand the bilateral partnership in infrastructure development, climate change response, and human resource development, including under the ambit of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Global Development Initiative (GDI).

Meanwhile, the prime minister visited Zhongguancun Science Park, China’s Silicon Valley, in the outskirts of Beijing. He was accompanied by Deputy PM Ishaq Dar and other members of the entourage. The discussions focused on potential collaboration and partnerships in tech start-ups, R&D centres, and digital infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Pakistan and China signed multiple MoUs to enhance bilateral cooperation in agriculture, labour-intensive manufacturing industry, digital economy, green economy and logistic ecosystem. The MoUs were signed between Pakistan’s Board of Investment (BoI) and several Chinese entities at a signing ceremony witnessed by Ishaq Dar. Speaking on the occasion, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister emphasised the importance of China’s outward-looking global economic policies, the capacity of Chinese enterprises to invest in the international market and the matching potential of Pakistan’s domestic market. He highlighted the supportive environment in Pakistan for Chinese businesses interested in relocating industries from China.

Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz also witnessed signing of various MoUs to expand cooperation in different fields between China and Pakistan. An MoU was signed between Pakistan and China regarding manufacturing of solar panels and YTO trackers. The MoU was signed between Pakistan’s Habib Rafique Limited and Beijing Global Hydrogen Industries Company Limited. Another MoU was signed between the Pakistan Investment Board and the Institute of Structural Economics, Peking University, to promote the CPEC.