ISLAMABAD: Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of China in Pakistan Shi Yuanqiang on Friday said any attempt to undermine cooperation between China and Pakistan by acts of terrorism would yield no result.

He was speaking at the Hong Ting Forum: Dialogue in Islamabad titled ‘Understanding China-Pakistan All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership and Chinese-Style Modernisation Development Path’.

The event was organised by China Pakistan Study Centre at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) in collaboration with Xinhua News Agency.

It highlighted China’s unique national modernisation and the importance of the China Pakistan All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership.

Shi Yuanqiang said continuous reforms and opening up was an important step in the development path of China, adding that Prime Minister Li Qiang’s recent visit to Pakistan marked another significant step in strengthening the China-Pakistan All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership.

“The leadership of both countries agree on supporting and promoting the three initiatives namely the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilisation Initiative, in addition to promoting CPEC and people-to-people relations between both countries,” the Chinese official said.

Former ambassador of Pakistan to China Masood Khalid said Beijing had made significant developments to the world including building the Great Wall, introducing meritocracy and building the great canal system.

China’s development journey has been marked with the economy growing from $2.286 trillion in 2005 to $18tn today, he said, adding that China-Pakistan relationship was a special high priority relation and any attempt to sabotage it was bound to fail.

Mr Masood said Pakistan could learn a lot from the Chinese approach to modernisation.

During his welcome remarks, Bureau Chief Xinhua News Agency Jiang Chao said under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, China-Pakistan friendship had stood the test of time.

Associated Press of Pakistan Deputy Director Mudassar Iqbal said China’s people-centred approach to modernisation had resulted in the fruits of growth reaching people.

Furthermore, he said China’s sustainable and ecological development was also a guiding beacon that could serve as a model for developing nations including Pakistan.

Associate Professor Quaid-i-Azam University Dr Salma Malik said Chinese modernisation was rooted in Deng Xiaoping’s principles which included rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, strengthening its global position and envisioning a new type of development of Communist Party’s own principles.

Associate Professor Bahria University Islamabad Dr Hassan Daud Butt said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) remained the buckle of the belt in the Belt and Road Initiative, where CPEC was still the most inclusive, vital and progressive of all BRI corridors.

Developing countries can also walk the Chinese path to middle and higher income levels by following the Chinese model of development and modernisation, Dr Butt said.

Senior anchorperson Farrukh Pitafi emphasised that storytelling had always been vital in building positive narratives and that the China story had always been a part of Pakistan’s national narrative.

It is high time that a retelling of the story of Pakistan-China relations is undertaken by the media of both countries, Mr Pitafi said.

In his closing remarks, Ambassador Khalid Mahmood, Chairman BOG ISSI, said Chinese development was a path of constant struggle and reform.

He said China’s vision of a community with shared future for mankind did not mean the imposition of its worldview but rather a prescription of how countries should adopt a development path suited to their own needs.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2024