“Forty Years of Chinese Reforms: Lessons for Pakistan”

Shazia Mehboob

ISLAMABAD:Pakistan has lot to learn from China in tackling poverty, corruption: Speakers

Speakers at a seminar on Saturday were in consensuses that Pakistan has a lot to learn from China to tackle various socio-economic challengers, including poverty and corruption.

They further said China’s trust on indigenous values and wisdom and socio-economic reforms lead it towards the path of prosperity and development.

The seminar titled “Forty Years of Chinese Reforms: Lessons for Pakistan” was organized by Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies (IPDS) in collaboration with Centre for Belt and Road Initiative and CPEC Studies.

The seminar was organized in connection with the completion of 40 years of reforms and opening up of China and learning from the experience.

Speaking on the occasion, Acting Ambassador of China Zhao Lijian said that currently China’s GDP will surpass $13 trillion that is roughly 60 times more than in the year 1978, when reforms began but now it is accounting more than 15 per cent of the global economy.

He said, “It is the second largest world economy in the world.” Zhao Lijian said, “Pak-China friendship is time tested and all weather.”

He further said that for the past 40 years, China is developing at the double digit while explaining that citizens were the centre at the reforms such as poverty alleviation, property rights, and environmental protection. He also briefed the participants on how China is putting economic and social development at the centre-stage of policy making.

Sharing Pakistani perspective, Ministry of Foreign Affair Parliamentary Sectary Andleeb Abbas said Pak-China friendship is not a fair weather friendship rather an all weather friendship.

She said that Pakistan should learn from Chinese experiences to alleviate poverty and anti-corruption campaigns, adding that both areas were on the agenda of the government.

Dr Shazia Ghani, a research scholar, said, “We should learn some lessons from China” adding that “Pakistan will have to understand that there is no alternative to reforms.”

She highlighted key issues such as why china felt the need for reform, what was its strategy and how it was different from other countries and what are the possible lessons that Pakistan can learn from China.

Dr Manzoor Khan Afridi said that we can learn so many things from China as Imran Khan during his victory speech announced that we should learn a lot from our neighbors.

He shed light on the stages of reform that took place in China and how China is not only economically but politically engaging with the world with institution like SCO and projects like BRI and CPEC.

IPDS founder Farhat Asif highlighted the recent initiative of Centre for Belt and Road Initiative and CPEC Studies. A large number of students, researchers, academia, diplomats, media personals, and members of civil society attended the seminar.