China is world’s next super power for trade and investment

HANGZHOU, China: President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday said China is world’s next super power for trade and investment and a place for the world to learn a lesson.

Addressing a forum on Pakistan Zhejiang Trade and Investment Opportunities: Current Cooperation and Future Prospects, the president said China is also a great opportunity to learn and enhance one’s knowledge.

“Chinese progress is becoming a lesson for the world to look at. It is the future’s super power in terms of investment and trade,” President Zardari said.

The forum was organised by Pakistan embassy and Department of Commerce Zhejiang Province. Representatives of Zhejiang’s 16 top business houses, whose combined annual turnover runs into billions of dollars, attended the forum.

Some of them also made presentation to the president about their companies and said they were keen to invest in Pakistan. They said they highly regard Pakistan and its people and would contribute towards the development of that country.

President Zardari said the Chinese have indigenously developed their own parameters of progress, from which not only Pakistan would like to learn, but it is something for the whole world to learn from.

President Zardari recalled that a solid foundation of Pakistan-China relationship was laid by late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto when he was the foreign minister. “Our friendship is higher than Himalayas and deeper than oceans,” he added.

He also mentioned that his son attended Beijing Olympics and received an overwhelming welcome from the Chinese.

“Future generations of the two countries should cherish the bonds of friendship that Pakistan and China enjoy.”

He said he was fulfilling his promise of visiting China after every three months and every time when he comes to China, he visits a new province.

“Every time I come I visit a new Chinese province, I learn. I want to educate myself and enhance my knowledge and capability,” the president remarked.

He said it was his dream that Pakistan should become a gateway for Chinese exports to world markets as his country’s ports were nearer than China’s own water fronts. He said from some of Chinese cities, it takes over three weeks for the export material to reach the nearest port. “Pakistan can be a transit to all trade to and from China. Your strength is our strength and our strength is your strength.”

About the ongoing projects that Chinese engineers and experts are carrying out in Pakistan, President Zardari said he personally monitors their progress by holding regular meetings with Chinese ambassador in Islamabad.

Earlier, Pakistanís ambassador to China Masood Khan in his remarks said Zhejiang’s high GDP and per capita income makes it one of the critical engines of growth of modern China.

President Zardari sought Chinese assistance in hydel, thermal and solar power generation to overcome Pakistan’s power crisis and invited Chinese companies to carry out feasibility study in the country.

After a presentation on small and medium sized dams, water conservation and irrigation by Zhejiang Design Institute of Water Conservancy and Hydroelectric Power, he said Pakistan is peculiarly energy deficient country.

“We need solar power for individual housing units and I want the Chinese to carry out study in Pakistan,” he remarked after the presentation.

President Zardari said Pakistan was ready to provide Chinese companies every assistance they need to set up power units that are not only cheap but also feasible for housing as well as commercial units.

Earlier, Li Yueming the president of the institute said they had also carried out studies of couple of medium sized dams in Azad Kashmir and constructed over 100 such dams around the world, especially in Africa, South America and Turkey. He said the projects initiated by his institute are cost effective and environment friendly.

Later, Chairman Wapda Shakeel Durrani said the institute would be invited to bid for construction of 12 small dams in Pakistan which are ready for construction.

In a meeting with President Zardari, President Zhejiang Zhengtai Solar Energy Science and Technology Company Yang Liyou said his company was ready to carry out solar power generation in Pakistan as it has plenty of sunlight available throughout the year. President Zardari said he would like the company to come to Pakistan and start small and medium sized solar power generating units as they are not only cheap but less costly to maintain. He said Pakistan offers great investment opportunities and the companies from China would be given every facility to set up their projects.

In his meeting with President Zhejiang Academy of Agriculture Sciences Chen Jianping, President Zardari said to provide grain to a burgeoning population in his country, there is a need for better agri-practices which not only give high yield but also use less irrigation water. President Zardari said Pakistan, which has very fertile soil, could exploit its potential in a better way if it uses hybrid varieties of seeds. He said China has progressed tremendously in the field of agriculture and Pakistan would like to benefit fully from its experience.

After the meeting, Jianping told APP that the academy will collaborate with Pakistani agricultural institutes and scientists to guide them to better agriculture practices.

President Zardari on Saturday said China and Pakistan have unanimity of views on all bilateral, regional and international issues and a base for cordial and strong bilateral relations was laid first by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and later by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.

In a meeting with Secretary Communist Party of China Committee of Zhejiang province Zhao Hongzhu, the president said he holds China in high esteem.

“How important China is for Pakistan can be gauged from my fourth visit within one year of assuming the office of the President of Pakistan,” he said. “I have no hesitation in telling the world about how much Pakistan cares for China. Whichever province of China I had visited, I felt as if I am amongst my own people.”

Zardari said in future Pakistan will be a leading route for world trade and he would like China to take full benefit of his country’s geographical location.

“Our relations should be such that the future generations of both the countries should feel proud of them,” he added.

He categorically stated that as President of Pakistan, he would never back out from his commitment to improve relations with China.

“I am steadfast in my stance. I have made it to the Presidency from gallows.”

Zhao Hongzhu said China and Pakistan are cooperating in various fields like trade, science, education and he found Pakistan’s policies pragmatic. He expressed his satisfaction that besides trade, bilateral relations between Pakistan and Zhejiang are also improving.

He informed the president that the province has progressed on a fast track owing to encouragement of the private sector which was instrumental in developing steel and heavy industry. Later he hosted a dinner for the president.

Meanwhile, Pakistan and China on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding for construction of Bunji dam in northern areas of Pakistan.

The agreement was signed between Pakistan’s Ministry of Water and, Power and China the Three Gorges Project Corporation. Chairman Board of Investment Saleem Mandviwala and Li Yang’an, signed the MoU for their respective sides.

President Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan’s ambassador in China Masood Khan and senior Chinese officials witnessed the signing ceremony.

Also, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed to manufacture vaccines to cure Hepatitis B and C. The document was signed from Pakistani side by Director General Health Dr Rasheed Juma while from the Chinese side the representative the of China Investment Promotion Agency.

The two countries will also exchange information related to therapeutic drugs, latest trends and techniques, respective laws and regulations and list of registered manufacturers and wholesalers.

The other MoU signed on the occasion related to investment promotion cooperation between China Investment Promotion Agency and Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce and Board of Investment.