China transfers marine geological survey data to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: China has transferred precious Marine Geological Survey Data to Pakistan, carried out jointly by the two countries in recent years.

It would be used for tapping the natural mineral and hydrocarbon resources in Pakistan’s waters. The handing over ceremony of the data was held at China Geological Survey (CGS) Headquarters in Chinese capital, Beijing.

According to reports Pakistan Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque, Vice President, China Geological Survey, Dr Xu Xueyi and other senior officials from the mission and CGS and Qindao Institute of Marine Geology attended the event.

Dr Xu Xueyi gave a detailed briefing about the China Geological Survey’s history and its cooperation with Pakistan. The two countries had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for cooperation in the field of Marine Sciences before the Covid pandemic, which provides a useful basis for cooperation in marine scientific fields and associated research, especially for tapping the natural mineral and hydrocarbon resources within territorial waters of Pakistan. In his remarks, Ambassador Moin ul Haque thanked China Geological Survey and Qindao Maritime Institute on behalf of his government and the Pakistan Navy.

He paid gratitude to China Geological Survey and Qindao Maritime Institute for arranging the ceremony of handing over of Joint Marine Geological Survey Data. He underscored the importance of three joint scientific expeditions already taken place during 2018 to 2022, and expressed confidence that the data collected during these expeditions would be useful for further expanding avenues of research and exploration of natural resources in Pakistan.