China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (Karamay, Xinjiang) Forum
Source : Pakistan-China Institute Date : 22-08-2015 By : Staff Report
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Islamabad, August 17, 2015: The first ever International Conference on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was held successfully, jointly hosted by the Xinjiang provincial government and the joint China Pakistan think tank, Research & Development International (RDI) last week in the city of Karamay, close to Urumqi in the Chinese province of Xinjiang, which is the entry point for the CPEC. This was announced by RDI Co-chair, Senator Mushahid Hussain, who is also Chairman of the Senate Defence Committee, at a press briefing for the media held in the Parliament House here today. The high level meeting had the participation of the Government of Pakistan through the Minister for Planning and Reform, Ahsan Iqbal, and the Government of Balochistan through the provincial Minister for Planning and Development, Hamid Khan Achakzai.
Briefing the media, Senator Mushahid Hussain said that the international forum of the CPEC was very successful as it brought together for the first time, parliamentarians from major political parties and all the provinces of Pakistan, policy makers, journalists and heads of important national organizations like, the FWO and NLC at one platform. He also announced that to promote the Information Corridor to support and supplement the Economic Corridor, the Pak-China Media Forum has been launched with senior journalist, Hafiz Tahir Khalil, as its first Chairman.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Co-Chair Research & Development International
Senator Mushahid Hussain said that the conference had a three-fold significance. First, the international forum on the CPEC has been institutionalized and now it will be a regular annual conference bringing together both sides to one platform. Second, Xinjiang is the entry point of the CPEC from the Chinese side and Balochistan is the entry point of the CPEC from the Port of Gwadar. This conference established close relations between the two provinces of Xinjiang and Balochistan by developing a sister-city relationship between Gwadar and Karamay as top officials of Gwadar, including the heads of the GPA, GDA, and the Nazim of Gwadar were present. Third, this was the first platform where top civil and military organisations, with a common goal, gathered together on one platform to promote the common objective of building the CPEC. Senator Mushahid Hussain led the parliamentary delegation, which included Senator Salim Mandviwala, Chairman Senate Finance Committee; Senator Hasil Bizenjo; Senator Nuzhat Sadiq, Chair of Senate Foreign Affairs Committee; Senator Afrasiab Khattak; Senator Saifullah Magsi; Senator Dr. Ashok Kumar and Shahzada Iftikhar uddin, MNA from Chitral. The military side included Lt. Gen. Khalid Asghar, Quarter Master General (QMG) of the Pakistan Army; Lt. Gen. Javed Bokhari, Engineer-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army; Lt. Gen. (R) Ghulam Mustafa Khan, former head of the Fauji Foundation; Maj. Gen. Mohammad Afzal, DG of the FWO; and Maj. Gen. Faisal Mushtaq, DG, NLC. Dr. Akram Sheikh, former Deputy Chairman Planning Commission was also among the participants.
Both the Chinese and Pakistani side signed MOUs for future cooperation worth almost $ 2 billion. In his keynote address to the conference, Senator Mushahid Hussain said that 36 years after 1979 when the whole region was destabilized by the beginning of the Afghan war and foreign military intervention, "there is a glimmer of hope that the region is being stabilized and Pakistan too has made progress in the campaign against terrorism and extremism which is a common enemy to both China and Pakistan". In this regard, he referred to the Afghan peace process being hosted by Pakistan with the support of China and the United States, the impact of the Iran nuclear deal and the CPEC, as major new developments that would have a positive impact on the region and would help promote regional cooperation.
He said that in Pakistan, after intense consultation among the political forces in parliament, especially Party conferences on May 13thand May 28th, there is now a complete consensus on the CPEC as a guarantor for progress and prosperity of Pakistan and all its provinces through its various projects. He also added that in this regard, all segments of society, including the armed forces and political forces, are on the same page viewing Pakistan China relations as vital for the unity, progress, prosperity and stability of the Federation of Pakistan. He said that it is important that both sides move forward in an organised and planned manner to promote the CPEC, and in this regard, he said that the role of Gwadarand Balochistan province would be pivotal.
Madam Zhao Baige, Chair, Research & Development International
Dr. Zhao Baige, the Chair of RDI also warmly welcomed the Pakistani guests and said that the purpose of the forum was to “move beyond talking, towards implementing and moving forward in a practical manner to promote cooperation between the two countries in different areas under the framework of the CPEC”. The Pakistani side also had a meeting with the communist Party of China’s Chief of Xinjiang province, Zhang Chunxinang, who is also one of the central leaders of China as member of the top policy-making political bureau.