BEIJING: The Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal arrived in Beijing on Wednesday as part of the high-level interactions between China and Pakistan. The Federal Minister was accompanied by Ambassador Syed Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Foreign Affairs.
After his arrival, the Federal Minister held several key meetings, including at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation (SINOSURE) and China Development Bank (CDB). Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Ambassador Tariq Fatemi and Mr. Khalil Hashmi, Ambassador of Pakistan to China were also present during the meetings.
In his meeting with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Mr. Sun Weidong, the Federal Minister held wide-ranging discussions, aimed at even further solidifying the ‘All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership’.
Discussions also included a review of successful culmination of the first decade of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and the progress achieved in its second decade, especially on the five corridors, namely growth, livelihood, openness, inclusivity and innovation, as outlined by Chinese Vice Premier Mr. He Lifeng last year. In this regard, he lauded services of Minister Planning Ahsan Iqbal as called him Mr. CPEC and noted the 5-E’s framework i.e. Export, Energy, Equity, E-Pakistan and Environment, envisioned by the Government of Pakistan, to implement these five corridors under CPEC. Both sides also discussed early implementation of ML-I, KKH realignment and other key infrastructure projects in Pakistan.
The Federal Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the high-quality development of CPEC, outlining future cooperation under CPEC phase-II in such priority sectors as IT, agriculture modernization, textile, minerals and renewable energy, among others. He thanked China for its support to make CPEC a flagship project of BRI. CPEC has helped Pakistan modernize its energy and logistics infrastructure. He highlighted the need for greater Business to Business links for the second phase of CPEC for which issuance of visas to Pakistani businessmen should be facilitated. He highlighted the significance and urgency of ML-1 Peshawar- Karachi Railway mainline project and called for enhanced collaboration in the field of Human Resource Development (HRD), especially through capacity building programs and training opportunities, recognizing it an important area in the second phase of CPEC. It apprised the Chinese side about enhanced security measures taken by Government of Pakistan for security of Chinese personnel.
As part of efforts to promote people to people linkages, both sides agreed to further enhance visa facilitation for each other’s citizens, which was also highlighted as central to strengthen B2B cooperation.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to continue high-level exchanges between the two sides with a view to fostering the China Pakistan Community of Shared Future in the New Era.
Later, Professor Ahsan Iqbal also met with leadership of Chinese financial institutions, including Mr. Sheng Hetai, President of China Export and Credit Insurance Corp. (SINOSURE) at SINOSURE’s Headquarters and discussed cooperation across various sectors, including early completion of hydel power projects such as Azad Pattan and Kohala. Both sides agreed to realize the common goal of shared progress and prosperity.
The Federal Minister also met with President of China Development Bank (CDB) Mr. Tan Jiong. While highlighting the deep rooted friendship between China and Pakistan, he noted the exception and unique nature of the bilateral relationship and acknowledged the contribution of CDB in making CPEC successful. The two sides also discussed CDB’s support for development projects in Pakistan, especially in infrastructure, renewable energy and industrial sectors. The President CDB assured the Federal Minister of the bank’s continued support to the efforts of the Government of Pakistan to accelerate the pace of the socio-economic development in the country. The Federal Minister invited the President CDB to undertake a visit to Pakistan to witness the success of several key CPEC projects in the country.
Muhammad Zamir Assadi
A senior journalist and research fellow in Islamabad