No need to fear China’s rise: Zardari

ISLAMABAD: Praising China’s remarkable growth and rise on the global stage, President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the development showcased by Beijing was a positive thing and there was no need for the world to fear it.

Speaking during an interview to the Chinese state media on his five-day visit to the country, President Zardari underscored that Beijing’s fast-paced development and transformation over the past few decades had impressed him to a great extent. “China has never been an occupier. [....] So why should one neighbour which knows that the Chinese are not the kind who want to interfere in other countries be scared. I would never be scared of China,” the president said. “I would be scared of another country but not China,” he added.

He remarked that individual excellence showcased by the people of China in their respective fields was resulting in the collective benefit of the nation.

The president, in the first week of February, had reached China on an invitation of his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping. During his stay in Bejing, President Zardari — accompanied by a delegation comprising Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Senator Saleem Mandviwala and Dr Asim Hussain — held various meetings with Chinese leadership, including President Xi and Prime Minister Li Qiang.

Meanwhile, lauding China’s foreign policy during the interview, President Zardari said that as Beijing’s neighbour, Islamabad was aware of the former’s policy of non-interference with regard to internal matters of other countries. China’s foreign policy, he noted, was a source of regional stability.

Expanding on the Pak-China relations, the president opined that the evergreen friendship between the two countries was not limited to good times.

Noting that Pakistan and China are close neighbours and will remain friends in all circumstances, the president stressed that Islamabad to fully benefit from Beijing’s development and its geography. Commending his Chinse counterpart for being persistent and having an understanding of the global outlook, President Zardari also appreciated his political philosophy and style of governance while underscoring multiple milestones achieved by the neighbouring country under his leadership.

Highlighting the need to improve roads and communications infrastructure with China, he said that Beijing could help Islamabad in the agricultural sector.