The National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) organised a seminar on ‘Regional Peace and Economic Development – Role of China and Pakistan’ on Monday.
A high-profile Chinese delegation, comprising senior faculty and students of Tsinghua University and Southwest University of Political Science and Law, also attended the seminar. The daylong event was a follow-up of recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Tsinghua University, China and NUST, during the China – Pakistan Cooperation Conference held at Beijing in October last year. On the occasion, the speakers said that taking into account the viability of enhanced Pakistan-China cooperation based on the factors constituting the unique bilateral relationship, the prospective partnership of the leading higher education institutions across the two countries could help establish extended collaboration in various fields of mutual interest.
Though Sino-Pak trade presently revolves around the figure of $ 9 billion, the level of economic cooperation remains far from optimum, the speakers said, adding that it was incumbent upon the leading educational institutions, especially NUST and Tsinghua University, to add their vital share to the Pak – China economic development. In his keynote address, NUST Rector Engr Muhammad Asghar regarded the seminar a step forward towards promoting the collaboration between the two countries in vast fields of mutual interest.
“Considering the environment of bilateral trust and friendship, the strategic geographical locations of both the countries in the regional and global perspectives and the immense but largely unexploited potential for mutually beneficial collaboration, there is every reason for Pakistan and China to enjoy a wider scope of cooperation. The enhanced Sino – Pak cooperation would lead to geo-strategic advantages for both countries as well as provide economic benefits to its peoples,” Engr Asghar maintained.
The rector said further that the universities must highlight the importance of science and technology cooperation in today’s knowledge-driven world. The one-day seminar consisted of three sessions with the participation of distinguished individuals from Pakistan and China. The speakers proposed strategies for ensuring stability and economic development in Asia in the face of global strategic transition.
For both China and Pakistan, the seminar provided a forum for convergence of mutual interests and the ideal opportunity to further expand the breadth and depth of strategic cooperation as well as to consolidate, deepen and enhance Sino – Pakistan partnership. It also allowed for a chance for shared learning in areas of bilateral interest, which would bring universities, business communities and the public sectors of Pakistan and China together in productive knowledge-based networks.
Among the prominent speakers at the occasion were former Pakistan foreign secretary Riaz Hussain Khokhar, Tsinghua University International Centre for Communication Studies Dean Professor Li Xiguang and Higher Education Commission (HEC) Executive Director Dr Sohail Naqvi, while HEC Chairman Dr Javaid Laghari also attended the seminar.
Later, the Chinese delegates along with the NUST officials attended a roundtable conference to discuss ways for intensifying cooperation between NUST and its counterparts in China. The conference culminated with the launch of a China-Pakistan joint think tank.
After the roundtable conference, NUST also inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huawei.
