Pakistan supports China’s global development, security initiatives: Ambassador Haque

BEIJING, Mar 30: Pakistan strongly supports the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, both proposed by President Xi Jinping over the last two years, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque has said.

The initiatives carry significance for human progress and have become essential in addressing the urgent needs and difficulties of a divided and unstable world, he told China Daily.

He said that the GDI was aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, which are about poverty reduction and socioeconomic development.

Ambassador Haque said that the GDI, proposed by President Xi back in September 2021 in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, had been a very important initiative after the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), “which has been about the development of infrastructure and connectivity”.

When Pakistan’s prime minister visited Beijing in November last year, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding, with Pakistan becoming one of the first partner countries under the GDI, according to the ambassador.

“So, under this MoU, we will be cooperating in the areas of education, health, agriculture, and of course, climate change, which has become a very important subject not only for Pakistan but also for the entire world community,” he said.

Citing the recent floods in Pakistan, the envoy said climate change under the GDI framework would become a very important topic of cooperation between China and Pakistan. The Pakistan flooding was a clarion call for everybody, he continued.

Ambassador Haque said Pakistan had fully supported the GSI because Pakistan and China are important members of the international community.

Both countries were very responsible members of the United Nations, he said, adding the GSI was aligned with the purposes and principles of the UN.

He said that security remains an important issue for both China and Pakistan and added that Pakistan had suffered over the years due to an adverse security environment around it.

Not only the physical security of borders but also security for people, food security, and energy security, “these are all important aspects of security for both countries”, Haque underlined.

“So, in this respect, we feel very proud that Pakistan and China have similar visions and similar positions on global peace and security,” he said.