Sino-Pak all-weather friendship rock solid, unshakeable: Wang Wenbin

BEIJING: A Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Friday said that Beijing was willing to work with Pakistan to advance traditional friendship, deepen all-round pragmatic cooperation and promote the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in a smooth and high-quality manner.

China is willing to work with Pakistan to continue the traditional friendship between the two countries, strengthen strategic communication, consolidate strategic mutual trust and deepen China-Pakistan all-round pragmatic cooperation, Wang Wenbin said during his regular briefing.

He said the both the countries would continue to promote the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in a safe, smooth and high-quality manner, and continue to release the corridor to promote growth and benefit.

The spokesperson said that the Chinese side highly appreciated Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif remarks on China-Pakistan relations and the CPEC framework.

In a recent interview with the Chinese media, PM Shahbaz Sharif highly spoke of China-Pakistan relations and said that the CPEC was a manifestation of mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation between the two countries.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said, “China and Pakistan are very good friends who have stood together through thick and thin for more than 70 years. No matter how the international situation changes, the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic partnership has always been rock solid and unshakable.”

He remarked that over the years, China and Pakistan had adhered to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits to promote the construction of the CPEC, continue to play the role of the corridor in promoting Pakistan’s economic development and improving people’s livelihood.

The CPEC had also made important contributions to regional connectivity and economic integration, which had been widely praised by all walks of life, he added.

Wang Wenbin said that the positive effect on people’s livelihood had made the all-weather friendship between China and Pakistan turned into steel, the construction of a China-Pakistan community with a shared future had taken root.

He said that China-Pakistan cooperation had provided more vigorous vitality for the development and revitalization of the two countries and even the region. Adding to this, To reduce Sino-Pak trade deficit and boost trade facilitation, a research on China-Pakistan quality infrastructure establishment and connectivity was initiated recently by the Development Research Center, State Administration of Market Regulation of China.

Data from China Customs shows that the trade deficit between China and Pakistan from Jan to Dec 2021 amounted to $20.66 billion. Currently, lack of connectivity between the two countries’ National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) has inevitably built trade barriers, which requires more attention from both sides.

Undertaken by Taizhou Institute of Standardization and Chinese universities, etc., the research is to study the trade deficit between China and Pakistan, by discovering the difficulties and obstacles hindering trade facilitation, to promote Sino-Pak industrial cooperation in agriculture, machinery, etc. through quality infrastructure connectivity.

In recent years, increasingly more economic cooperation is happening between Taizhou and Pakistan, which provides experience and a frame of reference for further connecting the two countries’ national quality infrastructure.

It’s learned that in the agricultural sector, the research team will formulate a China-Pakistan Agricultural NQI Cooperation Agreement by using the experience of Jiangsu Hongqi Seed Industry Co., Ltd’s rice seed business with overseas for reference. For electronics, the team will complete an NQI mutual recognition standard, too.

More significantly, in the electric vehicle sector, which is of Pakistan’s great concern and interest, a guide to manufacturing investment in Pakistan in terms of standardization for Chinese businesses will be finalized to speed up Sino-Pak EV cooperation in the days to come.

“We encourage Chinese enterprises to invest in the whole industry chain in Pakistan, not just in CKD assembly plants. Through our technology and equipment exports and capacity transfer, Pakistan’s basic industrial supporting capacity can be rapidly stimulated,” Philip Jian, Pakistan’s Honorary Investment Counsellor in China earlier said.

“We have been focusing on enhancing NQI connectivity with foreign countries like Thailand for improving trade facilitation. Hope our new NQI research on Pakistan will fuel economic cooperation between us in the future,” said Wu Wei, Director, Taizhou Institute of Standardization.