BEIJING, Feb 3 (APP):Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s important visit to Beijing is bound to push bilateral relations between China and Pakistan to a new height, Cheng Xizhong, Visiting Professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law and former Defence Attach in South Asian countries said on Thursday.
Today, PM Khan and his high-level delegation will be arriving in Beijing, capital of China, for a four-day visit including attending the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.
This is PM Imran Khan’s first visit to China since April 2019. Both sides attach great importance to this visit, which is bound to push the bilateral ties to a new height, Prof. Cheng said in an article issued here.
He believes that the significance of this extremely important visit mainly includes the following three points:
First, at a time when a few countries are trying to make trouble for China to host the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, PM Imran Khan resolutely decided to attend the opening ceremony.
This is a firm support for China and shows that no matter how the international situation changes, China and Pakistan always firmly stand together and support each other as reliable good friends, especially in difficult times, he added.
Second, as the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has now entered Phase II and new era, the top leaders of the two countries need to unify their will and explore the specific path of further in-depth and comprehensive cooperation.
In the new era, China and Pakistan are expanding all-round cooperation in all fields, including agriculture, tourism, snow and ice economy, green and low carbon development, information technology, aerospace technology and the construction of special economic zones. The cooperation between the two sides has great potential and bright prospects.
Third, nowadays, China and Pakistan are cooperating in the construction of special economic zones, special technological zones, industrial parks and agricultural demonstration zones.
More and more Chinese enterprises are landing in Pakistan with advanced equipment and modern technology.
The Chinese enterprises attach great importance to cooperation with Pakistani partners to realize the localization as soon as possible and gradually help Pakistan develop its own ability of self-reliance.
Prof Cheng said during the visit, PM Imran Khan will also meet prominent Chinese business leaders and representatives of leading Chinese think-tanks, academia and the media which will encourage all sectors of Chinese society, especially Chinese enterprises, to more actively participate in the bilateral cooperation in all fields and significantly increase their investment in Pakistan.
Pakistan is transforming itself from geo-politics to geo-economics and increasing integration with major economies in the world, which is making Pakistan an emerging economy.
“We sincerely wish Pakistan would become a strong nation and the Pakistani people would live a better life in the days to come. Economically strong Pakistan is conducive to the balance of powers in South Asia and regional peace and stability,” he added.
