Pakistan to follow Chinese economic model: Ahsan

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday said Pakistan would determine its future by following Chinese model of achieving economic development through political stability, social harmony and solidarity, right economic policies and built in process of reforms.

Speaking at an event held in connection with 65th anniversary of Pak-China diplomatic relations, he said China achieved remarkable economic development in decades by adopting these principles. “We must learn this lesson if we want to realise the dream of development.”

Ahsan said in 2013, Pakistan was facing long hours of loadshedding and security issues, but the situation had changed after signing of CPEC and its implementation.

He termed the CPEC a bilateral project which sought to establish regional connectivity and said it would provide connectivity to large market of three billion people. The CPEC, he said, was not just roads, port, bridges and infrastructure but it would integrate the economies for benefit of the people of two friendly countries.

He said the past governments could not transform political relations into the economic bonds but China was currently the number one investor in Pakistan.

He said the CPEC had brought quantitative and qualitative change in the relations of two neighbouring countries.

Addressing the audience, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi said CPEC was not a mere corridor but it was a concept, idea and vision that transformed existing excellent relations into whole new world.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong said China and Pakistan were transforming the relations geo-strategic relations into existing economic ties.He said the CPEC, the most vibrant component of Sino-Pak economic relations, was an important initiative to further augment and uplift relations between the two countries.

Weidong said, “Our leadership has given us a blueprint of future development and now it is our responsibility to make it a reality.”Pakistan Federations of Chambers of Commerce President Abdul Rauf Alam said during the last 65 years, both the countries developed multifaceted relations and currently were the largest trading partners with a trade volume over $18 billion after the signing of CPEC.

A documentary depicting Pak-China geo-strategic and geo-economic relations over the last 65 years was also shown. The minister along with the guests also cut a cake to celebrate the occasion.