A Chinese minister has informed Pakistan’s political leadership that internal stability is crucial for any nation to progress, suggesting unity among the parties.
“In a turbulent world of rising uncertainties, stability within the country is essential for development. Faced with complex internal and external challenges, Pakistan is navigating carefully through turbulent rivers,” Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC) Liu Jianchao said.
Jianchao made the remarks as he co-chaired — along with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar — the third meeting of the Pakistan-China Joint Consultative Mechanism (JCM) of the Political Parties on the CPEC.
Leaders belonging to all major political parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), were present during the event.
PTI’s Barrister Ali Zafar and Raoof Hasan, PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s Emir Fazlur Rehman, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, and other top leaders were in attendance.
Pakistan and China enjoy close relations with Bejing also investing billions of dollars in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and working in various sectors to boost Islamabad’s capabilities.
However, the works on the flagship project have been hindered in recent years due to the security situation with China informing the Pakistani side of its reservations.
The Chinese official said that there can be sustainable development only when all political parties in a country join hands to ensure political and social stability.
“And for all these years, China has always been striving hard to maintain a good balance of reform, development, and stability — each of the three fundamentals is indispensable.”
‘Eroding foundation of friendship’
The minister noted that over the years, CPEC has boosted Pakistan’s economic and social development. However, he said that more efforts need to be made, especially when it comes to security.
“We are ready to build the upgraded version of CPEC […] we need to improve security and business environment. Security threats are the main hazards disturbing CPEC cooperation,” he highlighted.
In the case of Pakistan, he said, the primary factor shaking the confidence of Chinese investors is the security situation. “Without security, the business environment cannot really improve, which can undermine development in the long run.”
At the same time, he also appreciated the Pakistani security forces for their services in this regard.
Moving on, the senior official said that due to the wholehearted support of the people of both nations, Pakistan and China have become “iron friends”. “Public support is the bedrock of the China-Pakistan relationship.”
However, voicing fears, he said that the mutual affinity between the people of the countries is still not commensurate with the iron-clad friendship of the countries.
“In particular, there’s a rising risk of Western social media which has a huge impact on the younger generation, eroding the foundation of the China-Pakistan friendship,” Jianchao said.
He said the Chinese government was ready to promote exchanges between the youth, media, think tanks, academics, and local governments, and help the public understand the friendship better.
