News
‘Pakistan keen to learn from China’s development marvel’
APP
SHANGHAI: President Mamnoon Hussain said on Friday that Pakistan was keen to learn from the marvellous economic development of China and wanted to emulate the same.
He expressed these views while attending a briefing during his visit to Urban Planning Exhibition Centre in Shanghai.
President Mamnoon said he was impressed with “all-round fast development” of Shanghai, the economic hub of China.
Having a bird’s eye view of the city from the exhibition centre, the president was informed that Shanghai hosted a large number of skyscrapers. The country’s tallest 632-metre high Shanghai Centre Tower was under construction. The skyscraper with 121 floors would be completed by next year, the president was told.
The city had the distinction for hosting 2010 Shanghai Expo for over six months in which Pakistan also actively participated.
The president was informed that the city had two mega international airports: Podan International Airport and the Hongquao International Airport.
The president was impressed when he was informed that Shanghai had the modern and fast magnetic train system. He was informed that Pakistan was the first non-communist country that had launched its flight to China in 1964.
During his meeting with Executive Deputy Mayor of Shanghai, Tu Guangshao, President Mamnoon Hussain said that energy cooperation with China would help Pakistan meet the growing energy challenges and urged the need for early implementation of the mutually agreed energy projects.
Welcoming the president to the mega city of Shanghai, the mayor said that first state visit of the president to China would further augment multi-faceted cooperation between the two counties, besides bringing closer the two sister cities, Shanghai and Karachi.
The president expressed delight to note that Shanghai and Karachi were celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their sister-city relationship and said that he being a citizen of Karachi feels privileged to be in Shanghai on this joyous occasion.
Regarding his visit to Shanghai, the president said that he was thoroughly impressed by the unprecedented development of Shanghai, adding that its futuristic and ever changing landscape was a symbol of China’s extraordinary economic rise and growth over the last 30 years.
Highlighting the investment opportunities in Pakistan, the president said that Pakistan offered immense potential for trade and investment in diverse areas, particularly energy, communication and infrastructure, and invited Chinese investment in these fields.
The president thanked the Shanghai government for the warm hospitality during his visit there and said that the time tested friendship between Pakistan and China would be strengthened with each passing day.
Those present during the meeting included Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi and ambassadors of the two countries.
The executive deputy mayor of Shanghai also hosted a dinner in honour of the president and members of his delegation.
Earlier, President Mamnoon had a busy schedule in Beijing where he met his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping. He also held separate meetings with Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman National People’s Congress Zhang Dejiang.
Both Pakistani and Chinese presidents after bilateral talks also witnessed signing of an agreement and four Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs). These included signing of the agreed minutes of the Second Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) on Pakistan-China Economic Corridor, MoU on the construction of new international airport at Gwadar, MoU on the development of phase II of Karakoram Highway (Raikot-Islamabad section) and MoU on co-establishing national joint research centres for small-scaled hydro power technology. From Pakistan’s side the four documents were signed by Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Prof Ahsan Iqbal.
The agreement on the establishment of Confucius Institute between Confucius Institute Headquarters and University of Agriculture Faisalabad was signed from Pakistan’s side by State Minister for Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk