Magazine on 70 years of Pak-China ties launched

Islamabad : Ali Muhammad Khan, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, has said that China’s emergence in the last three decades on the global stage is a fascinating story and Pakistan could also accomplish successes with the same speed by following the path of China and overcoming some of its weaknesses.

Mr Khan was speaking at the launching of the Special Edition of PIVOT Magazine on “Seventy years of Pakistan-China relations” organised here by the Institute of Strategic Studies (ISS).

Mr Khan described CPEC as a natural extension of the ancient Silk Route. He underlined China’s peaceful credentials and its efforts to avoid war. He stated that it is China that stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Pakistan in times of difficulty. He opined that our support for China does not mean we are joining any anti-West club but should be see through the prism of CPEC whose dividends will not only be limited to Pakistan and China but for the whole world.

Senior anchorperson Dr. Moeed Pirzada in his keynote address praised the farsightedness of late Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as he established profound contacts with China and settled border disputes. He underscored that Mr. Bhutto contemplated in the 1970s that China would be a key power for regional stability. He added that China-Pakistan relations initially were only technical, military, and limited to strategic cooperation but since 2014, both the states have established extensive economic relations. He underlined that we need to convince the world that CPEC is an initiative that would improve the quality of life of native people, promote regional connectivity, and is open for the western world to invest in it.

Former ambassador to China Naghmana Hashmi observed that our leadership in the 1950s understood the strategic importance of China for the stability of the region. She added that the way Pakistan resolved the border dispute was the first step that gave China confidence to work with Pakistan on areas of common interests.

Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, DG, ISS, and Faraz Zaidi, DG China Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and also spoke on the occasion.