Page 6 - Pakistan Link - February 1, 2019

P6 – PAKISTAN LINK – FEBRUARY 1, 2019 OPINION
n By Riaz Haq Pakistani Mini Invasion of China?
CA ference to cover the unfortunate girl’s medical
expenses.
n the mid-1960s America saw a phe-
nomenon called the “British Invasion”. Muslims in Changzhou
IAnecdotal evidence suggests a simi- A large number of Muslims call Chang-
lar phenomenon, albeit on a smaller scale, zhou home. There are five mosques in the city.
is occurring in China with Jalil has had the opportunity to attend Friday
about 100,000 Pakistanis ar- prayers at packed mosques in the city. MandS
riving there in recent years. Restaurant owner offered free meals to over
While the growing presence 200 Muslims as part of Eid Milad un Nabi
of the Chinese in Pakistan (Prophet Mohammad SAW’s birthday) cel-
gets a lot of press, there has ebration last year.
been relatively little cover-
age of the movement of people in the other China-Pakistan Ties
direction---from Pakistan to China. Pakistan-China ties are rapidly growing
Jalil Shaikh, a Pakistani-American tech well beyond the economy and the military do-
executive in Silicon Valley, has observed this mains with tens of thousands of Chinese and
phenomenon during his frequent visits to Pakistani citizens regularly traveling between
Jiangsu province in China. Jalil is often wel- the two countries.
comed as “iron brother” by the people he More Pakistanis than ever are learning
meets during his stays in China. the Chinese language. With its world class
educational institutions, China is emerging
Pakistanis in Changzhou as one of the top destinations for Pakistanis
Jalil saw anecdotal of evidence of a “Paki- studying abroad. China-Pakistan relationship
stani invasion” of China in the city of Chang- is becoming a truly multi-dimensional strate-
zhou in Jiangsu province. Changzhou has a gic relationship. This new phenomenon is the
population of about 5 million people which Pakistanis in Changzhou, China subject of a Pakistani spice company televi-
makes it a medium size city by Chinese stan- dozens of Pakistanis working as engineers. Karaoke singing at MandS Restaurant. About sion commercial featuring a young Chinese
dards. It is an educational hub and is home They work as IT engineers at German auto- 40 Pakistanis, mostly students, showed up. woman in Lahore making the popular biryani
to several universities, including Changzhou makers BMW and Mercedes whose Beijing Many of the Changzhou Pakistanis, including dish using Shan masala.
University, Hohai University (Changzhou offices are located just across the street from girls, are from families living in small towns
campus), Jiangsu Teachers’ University of Sci- the hotel. and villages in Pakistan. Many get fully funded China’s Strides in Science and Technol-
ence and Technology, Jiangsu Teachers’ Uni- On a visit to Changzhou last year, Jalil ate scholarships with full tuition, room and board ogy
versity of Technology, and Changzhou Insti- at MandS Restaurant, a Pakistani restaurant as well as a stipend of 1700 RMB for Master’s Why is China becoming a fast growing
tute of Technology. It attracts a large number in the city of Changzou. He met its Pakistani degree students and 2000 RMB for PhD can- destination for foreign students, including
of foreign students mainly from countries par- owner and several young Pakistanis attending didates. China gets the benefit of the research Pakistanis studying abroad? A story in India’s
ticipating in China’s BRI (Belt and Road Ini- universities there. He learned that there were work and publications produced by them. “The Wire” online magazine has explained it
tiative). China-Pakistan Economic Corridor scores of Pakistanis in Changzou and most of in terms of the rapid rate of China’s progress in
(CPEC) is a flagship project of BRI. them were reachable on a WeChat group. We- Spinal Injury Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
There are an estimated 22,000 Pakistani Chat is a ubiquitous smartphone application A Pakistani girl who had recently arrived (STEM) fields as follows:
students studying in China. A significant frac- similar to WhatsApp that serves as both mo- had a serious mishap soon after arrival from America’s National Science Foundation
tion of these students receive Chinese govern- bile messaging and payment platform. Owned her village near Multan. She slipped and fell. and National Science Board have recently re-
ment scholarships to study in the country. by Chinese social media giant TenCents, We- The fall caused serious spinal injuries requir- leased their biennial science and engineering
Chat competes with China’s e-commerce be- ing hospitalization and surgery. This occurred indicators which provide detailed figures on
Pakistanis in Beijing hemoth Alibaba’s Alipay in mobile payments before her medical coverage started. The research and development (R&D), innovation
Jalil has travelled to the Chinese capital space which has rapidly grown in China. Jalil hospital demanded payment of RMB 35,000 and engineers. But its true message is in a dif-
Beijing for business. During one such trip, he joined the Pakistani WeChat group in Chang- which is equivalent to US$5,000. Pakistanis ferent direction, “China has become,”
stayed at the Oak Chateau Hotel where he met zhou and invited its members to dinner and helped raise $4,000 and Jalil made up the dif- INVASION, P26

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