ISLAMABAD: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has expressed the hope that second phase China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would advance industrialisation, agricultural modernisation, information technology, and the tech sector, as in solar energy and wind power.
The Chairman PPP told Chinese channel CGTN in his interview, “China is making significant advancements in electric vehicles, and Pakistan and China will be cooperating in this particular domain as well. As a result, we expect to see greater socio-economic development within Pakistan, and for the peoples of both Pakistan and China to reap the benefits of the CPEC.”
During the interview, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also emphasised that China’s Global Governance Initiative is particularly timely, whether in addressing climate change, terrorism, or global pandemics. He noted that in the modern era, no country or people can exist in isolation. “Therefore, I believe this new initiative has come at exactly the right time, especially as the global order is being challenged and we are witnessing more disorder than order. It is China that offers a steady hand by advocating for multilateralism within a rules-based order,” he added. Bilawal said that he considers this approach especially important given the current challenges facing the international community. “Advocating for the promotion of international law, a rules-based order, multilateralism, and cooperation is the only way for us to collectively address today’s global governance challenges,” he said.
In response to a question about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent visit to China, the PPP Chairman remarked that he believes the visit yielded very substantial outcomes. He described the new action plan as a manifestation of concrete steps that will pave the way for the second phase of CPEC.
“Under this action plan, I am particularly eager for Pakistan to benefit from China’s modern advancements in technology, the IT sector, and the introduction of artificial intelligence,” he stated. He also referenced a Chinese proverb: “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; if you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” Similarly, he expressed hope that through this new action plan, Pakistan will learn to “fish” by adopting the modern technologies that China is implementing.