An enduring friendship
The Pakistan-China friendship has stood the test of time. These two countries have stuck by each other through thick and thin. And now on the occasion of this most historic visit by President Xi Jinping of China the level of friendship shone through. The great regard shown to him on his visit was not only an honour for China but also for Pakistan. Over the years the nurturing of generations of leaders and people from all sectors of both countries has led us to this great moment in time when President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan and elevated the Pak-China goodwill to another level.
Pakistan and China agreed to improve their bilateral relationship to all-weather strategic cooperative partnership that envisages strong defence and security ties, continued nuclear energy cooperation and expansion of trade. The two countries kicked off the implementation of $46 billion Pakistan China Economic Corridor (PCEC), a combination of transport and energy projects on the occasion of the visit of the Chinese President. He met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and signed agreements worth $28 billion and inaugurated many projects. The rest of the $17 billion will come about when financial and logistic needs are worked out.
As many as 51 agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed by the two sides, also eight projects were inaugurated and five projects had their ground breaking ceremonies. The $28 billion financing agreements will immediately come into implementation phase because necessary processes have already been completed. These include 1,000MW solar power park in Punjab, 870MW Suki Kanari (KP) hydropower project, 720MW Karot (AJK) hydropower project and three wind power projects of 200MW in total. The Chinese have also given concessional loans for upgradation of Karakoram Highway, Karachi-Lahore motorway, Gwadar port east-bay expressway project and Gwadar international airport. There is also the establishment of China-Pakistan Joint Cotton Biotech Lab and China-Pakistan Joint Maritime Research Centre.
The PCEC will link Kashgar in China to Gwadar through a mesh of communication networks, comprising world class seaport, commercial sea lines, an airport, highways, railways, fibre optic cables, and oil and gas pipelines. This corridor is a part of a wider one belt, one road strategy to develop China’s western region and link the silk route economic belt with the maritime silk route. The corridor comprises modern highway and railway transportation system linking Pakistan and China.
The government of Pakistan rolled out the red carpet for President Xi Jinping of China. His plane was escorted by eight Pakistan Air Force JF17 Thunder fighters before landing at Chaklala airbase where he was greeted by President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, ministers and all service chiefs. There was a 21-gun salute and guard of honour for President Jinping as well. The Chinese President was awarded the country’s highest civil award, the Nishan-i-Pakistan, as well.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that he along with President Xi had taken momentous decisions that would take bilateral ties to new heights and with deep and far reaching impact for our common economic future and peace and stability in the region.
Apart from the PCEC, Pakistan and China have agreed to increase bilateral trade to $20 billion over the next three years. They also decided to start discussion on Pakistan-China Free Trade Agreement. Defence ties were also discussed and it was decided that this partnership would be strengthened. Cooperation in the field of nuclear energy was also agreed to be continued.
President Xi Jinping on this historic visit of Pakistan made a memorable address to Pakistan’s Parliament. This was the first occasion when a Chinese President addressed the Joint Session of the Parliament. He was spontaneously cheered by the parliamentarians who gave him a standing ovation. President Jinping lauded Pakistan’s role as a front line state in the war against terror and said that china would help it strengthen its capabilities. He said the two neighbours must stick together to face threats to their existence. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif thanked the President for his remarks and also spoke eloquently regarding the strength of the Pak-China friendship.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his government must be lauded for their efforts in not only engaging China at this level but also their ability to convert words into deeds. China’s unprecedented level of commitment to Pakistan is a testament of our leaders’ vision in this regard. The Chinese President is the leader of an emerging global power and his words of warmth and friendship were heartening. He spoke many times about the enduring friendship of Pakistan and China throughout his trip and one could feel that he was genuinely looking forward to take ties between the two nations to greater heights.
In the field of defence, China has extended invaluable cooperation that extends to all three services. It has not only provided weapons and equipment but has also assisted Pakistan in developing a strong a defense industrial capability. China today is clearly Pakistan’s top arms supplier, a position until recently held by the US. Chinese and Pakistani militaries carry out joint exercises and there is continuous exchange of high-level visits demonstrating that relations are robust.
The growing strategic and security links between China and Pakistan is the real progress of this Asian region. Major Powers from other regions could not but take note of these momentous developments and their implications for regional and global security. The decision to enhance Pakistan-China strategic and security cooperation, therefore, would help in strengthening stability in South Asia.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Pakistan last week was an extremely significant development not only for Pakistan-China relations but also for the region and beyond. It enabled the two countries to reaffirm the importance that they attached to their strategic relationship and declare their intention to strengthen it further. The decision to enhance Pakistan-China strategic and security cooperation, therefore, would help in strengthening stability in South Asia. It would also enable China to have easy access to the Arabian Sea, bypassing the US efforts to contain the southward expansion of its influence. Thus proving that the friendship between China and Pakistan is enduring and would obviously open up news ways of opportunities and to bloom.
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