By: Asem Mustafa
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China have reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing cooperation in the fields of defense, trade, economy, investment, health, agriculture, science, and technology.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on his visit to China held a wide range of discussions with Chinese counterpart. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended the celebrations of the 71st anniversary of Pak-China relations and discussed regional and international relations. The joint statement issued by the Foreign Ministers said that despite the regional and international challenges, the strategic relationship between Pakistan and China will continue and increase as time passes.
International relations globally are shaped either by war or trade. Most of the wars since World War II have been fought to protect US business and trade interests. Some wars have been fought to seize energy resources. The United States has benefited from all such wars directly while in many other places Russia, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, indirectly and through proxy US get the international opinion coined in their favour and the result was enhancement of its military industrial complex output.
China has termed instability, wars and arms purchases as the rootcause of hunger in countries which have been one way or the other affected by the United States. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a plan to transport goods from China to Pakistan’s Gwadar port and from there to the rest of the world. The main objective of CPEC is to improve the economic condition of the people of Pakistan and China. Increasing connectivity can fulfill CPEC goals.
Pakistan lacks the basic necessities of economic development. Problems such as development infrastructure, energy resources and manpower training have hindered the path of development. It is important to teach skills that have the potential to emerge in the future. China itself has lifted its 700 million population out of poverty by providing training and resources. Ninety percent of the infrastructure construction work in Pakistan has been completed. Nine special economic zones have been set up in the areas in which domestic and foreign companies are being invited for investment.
Undoubtedly, the construction of CPEC has given Pakistan an opportunity to free itself from the crutches of the West. Pakistan has all the basic necessities of economic development. Organization and training can solve economic problems. The PTI government decided to conduct a forensic audit of CPEC projects as soon as it came to power. PML-N believes that this decision angered China but with time the relationship between Pakistan, China and Russia seemed to be improving and the monitoring of the projects was considered approved during the PTI era.
The PTI blamed Corona for the crisis in the international economy. After a concerted effort, the PDM ousted the PTI from power. The new Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto has been entrusted with the task of carrying out the Pak-China relations in accordance with his wishes and policy. In recent days, Chinese teachers and artisans have been targeted in terrorist attacks in Pakistan. Media should be informed if any progress has been made regarding the return of these skilled workers during the Foreign Minister’s visit to China.