Guangdong Province on the South China Sea coast of the People’s Republic of China has some lucrative economic, commercial and cultural opportunities for the people of Pakistan as it has booming GDP rate, commerce and trade industry, proximity with global trade routes and centuries-old traditions and culture, stated Li Jian, Deputy Director General Foreign Affairs Office, People’s Government of Guangdong Province, China.
Li Jian stated this while heading a six-member delegation from Foreign Affairs Office of China’s Guangdong province and notable journalists from Guangdong media during his visit to National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Islamabad. Jian said an open door policy, proximity to Hong Kong and strong historical link to overseas Chinese brought an economic boom in the province.
He said the province was now one of the richest in the nation with the most billionaires in mainland China, and the highest GDP among all the provinces. In 2011, Guangdong’s aggregate nominal GDP reached 5.30 trillion RMB (US$838.60 billion with a per capita GDP of 47,689 RMB. By 2015, the local government of Guangdong hopes that the service industry will account for more than 50 per cent of the provinces GDP and high-tech manufacturing another 20 per cent, he added.
Jian also said that last year Chinese President Xi Jinping presented “One Belt, One Road” initiative which was the establishment of New Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to deepen global peace and development through establishment of intensive physical and other forms of connectivity as well as cooperative ties between China and the countries across Eurasia, Africa and beyond. Moreover, this visit would help him and his team to learn what they achieved in terms of their friendship with Pakistan and how they could work together in different areas of mutual interests to multiply these achievements, he added.
Director Planning and Coordination (P&C) Dr Riasat Ali briefed the members of delegation about the history, functions, learning facilities, disciplines and campuses of the university. The member of the delegations also visited different departments of the university including Confucius Institutes, Chinese Language Department, and Language labs of the university. Lastly, the director P&C presented the university shield to the visiting guests and expressed gratitude of the members for showing keen interest in visiting NUML and then referring it to their Chinese students for their higher studies and research.