ISLAMABAD (Khyber Mail): Chinese Ambassador H.E. Jiang Zaidong, at a symposium organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), expressed China’s readiness to collaborate with Pakistan to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of both nations. He noted that Pakistan’s eagerness to enhance commercial cooperation was welcome and would provide a new impetus to China-Pakistan cooperation as China enters a new development phase. He dismissed the notion of China facing an overcapacity problem, stating that China’s production capacity matches its global exports.
Ambassador Zaidong highlighted the need for closer cooperation between Pakistan and China at both governmental and societal levels to promote the integration of China’s new development of 5Cs with 5Es. He also mentioned China’s aspiration to transform and upgrade traditional industries, strengthen emerging industries, and plan the construction of future-oriented industries under its new developmental plans.
Ambassador Jauhar Saleem, President of the IRS, emphasized the importance of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in providing opportunities for collaboration and development. Former Foreign Minister, Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani, pointed out that China’s economic progress was a result of rapid industrialization, urbanization, and export-oriented policies.
Professor Zhou Rong, a Senior Fellow at Renmin University of China, suggested that Pakistan could learn from China’s development approach and focus on implementation. He urged Pakistan to embrace the Chinese language to further deepen cultural ties between the two countries.
Former envoy of Pakistan to China, Ambassador Moin ul Haq, emphasized the need for skill training for Pakistani youth in line with the evolving technological landscape. He also stressed the need for Pakistan to establish smart linkages to drive innovation in research and development.
Dr. Ahmed Ijaz Malik, a faculty member at Quaid-i-Azam University, emphasized the need for a two-way partnership to fully realize benefits. He suggested that university students in Pakistan be engaged by providing them training and internships in China so that they could later be utilized as skilled workers.
Mr. Shakeel Ahmed Ramay, CEO of the Asian Institute of Eco-civilization, Research and Development (AIERD), underscored the need for Pakistan’s inclusion in the global supply chain framework. He also emphasized the importance of adopting a skills-based and meritocratic approach to address Pakistan’s governance challenges effectively. He opined that an undesirable and inadequate pace of industrialization had hindered the operationalization of Special Economic Zones under the CPEC, and called for a paradigm shift to expedite industrial development and optimize the potential of SEZs for economic growth.