The first ever International Forum on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was very successful as it brought together for the first time, parliamentarians from major political parties and all the provinces of Pakistan, policy makers, journalists and heads of important national organisations like, the FWO and the NLC on one platform.
This was stated by Senate Defence Committee Chairman and Joint Pakistan China think-tank Co-chair, Senator Mushahid Hussain, while talking to the media on Monday.
The forum was jointly hosted by the Xinjiang provincial government and the joint China Pakistan think tank, RDI, in the city of Karamay, close to Urumqi in the Chinese province of Xinjiang, which is the entry point for the CPEC, he said.
Senator Mushahid said that the high level meeting had the participation of the Government of Pakistan through the Minister for Planning and Reform, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal and the Government of Balochistan through the Minister for Planning and Development, Hamid Khan Achakzai.
He further said that the conference had a three-fold significance. “First, the international forum on the CPEC has been institutionalised and now it will be a regular annual conference bringing together both sides on one platform,” he said.
Second, Xinjiang is the entry point of the CPEC from Chinese side and Balochistan is the entry point of the CPEC from the Port of Gwadar, this conference established close relations between the two provinces of Xinjiang and Balochistan by developing a sister city relationship of Gwadar and Karamay as the top officials of Gwadar including the heads of the GPA and GDA and the Nazim of Gwadar were present.
Third, this was the first platform on which top civil and military organisations with the common goal gathered together on one platform for promoting the common objective of building the CPEC.
Both the Chinese and Pakistani sides signed MOUs for future cooperation worth almost $2 billion. In his keynote address to the conference, Senator Mushahid Hussain said that 36 years after 1979 when the whole region was destabilised by the Afghan war and foreign military intervention, “There is a glimmer of hope that the region is being stabilised and Pakistan too has made progress in the campaign against terrorism and extremism, which is a common enemy of both China and Pakistan.” In this regard, he referred to the Afghan peace process being hosted by Pakistan with the support of China and the United States, the impact of the Iran nuclear deal, and the CPEC, as major new developments which would have a positive impact on the region and help promote regional cooperation.
He expressed that in Pakistan, after intense consultation among the political forces in parliament, especially Party conferences on May 13 and May 28, there was now a complete consensus on the CPEC as a guarantor for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan and all its provinces through various projects. He said that all segments of society including the armed forces and political forces are on the same page viewing Pakistan China relations as being vital for the unity, progress, prosperity and stability of the Federation of Pakistan.
He said that it is important that both sides move forward in an organised and planned manner to promote the CPEC and in this regard, he said that the role of Gwadar and the Balochistan province would be pivotal. RDI Chair Dr. Zhao Baige, also warmly welcomed the Pakistani guests and said that the purpose of the forum was to “move beyond talking to implementing and moving forward in a practical manner to promote cooperation between the 2 countries in different areas under the framework of the CPEC”. The Pakistani side also had a meeting with the Communist Party of China’s Chief of Xinjiang province, Zhang Chunxinang who is also one of the central leaders of China as member of the top policy-making political bureau.
