ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will get a big boost in efforts to meet its energy shortfall, improve infrastructure and set up industrial parks with the help of China, as its President Xi Jinping arrives here Monday on his first visit to Pakistan.
This would be the first state visit by a Chinese President in nine years to Pakistan and with aim to boost their bilateral ties in a comprehensive way and become a historic milestone in relations between both the countries, said China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong in an interview.
“No matter how the international and domestic situations changed, China-Pakistan relationship has always been moving forward,” he said. He said the leadership of the two countries, apart from discussing all aspects of their multifaceted ties, would also focus on energy, transport infrastructure, agriculture, finance, tourism, poverty alleviation and cultural exchanges.
The Ambassador described China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as an important part of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road that would run through Asia, Europe and Africa. It would “be a driving force for common development in the region,” he said, adding that the main purpose was to achieve connectivity of policies, facilities, trade, financial services and people.
“The link would connect vibrant East Asia economic circle at one end and develop European economic circle at the other,” he said and pointed out that it was not a solo initiative by China, “but a symphony performed by all relevant countries.”
Responding to a question whether he believed that the CPEC was a “fate changer” for Pakistan and the region, the Ambassador said the CPEC was now gradually entering into implementation stage and mentioned various projects already in different stages. These include in Punjab: Sahiwal coal power projects, Bahawlpur solar projects and Lahore Orange Line project. In Sindh the projects include Port Qasim coal power projects, K2 and K3 nuclear power plants, Jhimpir wind power projects. In Balochistan work is going on Gwadar Port and livelihood projects. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the projects include Sukhi Kinari Hydro Power Project and the KKH Phase II (Thakot-Havelian).
“We can see that CPEC covers all regions of Pakistan and will bring great benefits to all the people of Pakistan as well as the whole region,” Ambassador Sun Weidong said.
The Ambassador said the CPEC initiative was proposed By Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during his visit to Pakistan in 2013 and was warmly received by Pakistani leaders.
“We have established the Joint Cooperation Commission and four working groups. The JCC is responsible for making overall plans and the working groups are responsible for specific projects,” he said.
The Ambassador when asked how visit of the Chinese President would help Pakistan meet its energy challenge, mentioned the ongoing projects and said their completion would produce thousands of megawatts of power.
“This will help alleviate energy shortage in Pakistan, and inject fresh energy to the sustainable growth of Pakistan’s economy.” He said energy was a must for Pakistan’s development and assured that China was trying to support Pakistan in this regard.
China had donated a solar power plant system for the National Assembly of Pakistan. The feasibility and design of the project had been completed and would be launched in the middle of this year, he said.
He said that China was now working with Pakistan to carry out a series of energy projects, including coal power, wind power, hydropower and solar power. He said the first phase of Bahawalpur 100MW solar power project had been completed, while the second phase of 900MW solar project would be launched soon. Dawood 50MW and Sachal 50MW wind farms would have ground-breaking in near future, while agreement on transmission lines from Matiari to Lahore and Matiari to Faisalabad was expected to be signed soon, he added.
The Chinese Ambassador said both sides had coordination on projects such as Thar coal-fired power plants, Sahiwal coal-fired power plants and Port Qasim power plants.
Regarding strategic partnership between China and Pakistan and its impact on the region, the Ambassador said that China’s periphery diplomacy included peaceful development, win-win cooperation and regional cooperation. He said that China stuck to road of peaceful development, and aimed to bring peace and prosperity to its neighbourhood through its development.
“China will not pursue hegemony and the old way of ‘the big bullying the small. China will unswervingly pursue peaceful means in resolving disputes in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The Ambassador said that China was building new type of international relations – meant to replace confrontation with cooperation and replace exclusiveness with win-win cooperation. “China rejects the practice of zero-sum game and the winner-takes-all approach.”
He said that China had been playing a constructive role in mechanisms of regional cooperation, such as Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), ASEAN plus 3, the East Asia Summit, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
China had always made unremitting efforts for peaceful settlement of regional hot issues, and promoting regional peace and stability, he added. Citing China’s position on Afghanistan, he said it always supported “Afghan-led and Afghan-owned” reconciliation process and looked forward to a unified, stable, developing and friendly Afghanistan.
“China believes that cooperation and support should be strengthened to support effective administration of Afghan National Unity Government, to support reconciliation between Afghan government and various political forces, including the Taliban, to support economic and social reconstruction of Afghanistan, and to support Afghanistan’s integration in regional cooperation.” He said that Pakistan had an important role in tackling the issue of Afghanistan, and China was ready to work along with it in that regard.
The Ambassador speaking on the deep-rooted Pakistan-China strategic ties, said these went back over half a century and had always been moving forward. For more than 60 years, the relationship had always been supported by leaders and peoples of the two countries, he added.
The friendship that used to be described as higher than mountains, deeper than oceans and sweeter than honey, he said, was now called by the young Chinese as Iron Pak. This showed how popular China-Pakistan friendship was among China, he added.
He said that China-Pakistan ties were based on five principles of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit and peaceful coexistence.
Ambassador Sun Weidong said the two countries had supported each other in hard times. “We never forget that in the 1960s, PIA served as an air corridor linking China with the outside world. We never forget Pakistan helped China regain its lawful seat at the United Nations. We never forget after a massive earthquake hit Wenchuan in 2008, Pakistan immediately donated all of its reserved tents to China.”
He recalled the recent evacuation of 176 Pakistani citizens from Aden by Chinese Navy, while China’s students took a Pakistani vessel to leave Yemen safely. He said both the countries treated each other with sincerity and simplicity.
“We respect each other and enjoy a high degree of mutual trust. We have tried our best to put ourselves in the other’s shoes and never imposed our will on the other side. We are truly sincere friends and brothers.”
He described the cultural difference between the two countries as an advantage and said it made the world much more colourful and gave an opportunity to learn from each other.
“The Chinese food makes Pakistani restaurant more sought for, while Pakistani Shalwar Kameez makes Chinese people more colourful,” he said, adding that cultural exchanges would help promote mutual understanding and complementary cooperation.
