ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has praised China’s remarkable growth and called it a positive development, saying there is no need for the world to fear it.
Zardari, who visited China on a five-day visit earlier this month, said this during an interview with Chinese broadcaster CCTV that was shared on YouTube on Saturday.
The statement dispelled the notion that China’s ambitious foreign infrastructure push has saddled poor nations with “hidden debt” worth hundreds of billions of dollars, which has raised concerns among some regional and global powers that Beijing’s growing naval presence, together with its so-called “debt-trap” diplomacy, could provide it significant advantages far from its shores.
China is a major ally and investor in Pakistan that has pledged over $65 billion in investment in road, infrastructure and development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a part of the Belt and Road Initiative that is a massive China-led infrastructure project that aims to stretch around the globe.
“China has never been an occupier,” President Zardari said, when asked about China’s modernization and why he was not afraid of the development that might be threatening to some other countries.
“Why am I not? Because, A, I’m your neighbor, and I’ve been your neighbor since centuries. So why should one neighbor, which knows that the Chinese are not the kind who want to interfere in other countries, be scared. And I would never be scared of China.”
Since the launch of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) investment drive, Beijing has invested hundreds of billions of dollars to build roads, bridges, ports and hospitals in some 163 nations, including many countries across Africa and Central Asia, according to a study by AidData, an international development research lab.
Nearly 70 percent of this money has been lent under opaque deals to state banks or joint ventures between Chinese businesses and local partners in countries that were already deeply indebted to Beijing.
But China and Pakistan enjoy a close strategic partnership, with the latter’s location on the Arabian Sea providing Beijing an overland route toward the Gulf of Aden and onto the Suez Canal, and enabling Chinese ships to avoid the potential chokepoint of the Malacca Strait.
President Zardari, who discussed CPEC’s acceleration, cooperation in science and technology, renewable energy and other sectors during his visit to China this month, termed Beijing’s development program a “good thing.”
“The world can’t compete [with China]. It’s all about new technologies, the rise of China, which is a good thing,” he told the Chinese broadcaster.
“Pakistan is a very independent country. We have our independent role, but at the same time, we will look toward China and go along with China first.”
Pakistan president says no need for world to fear China’s rise
https://arab.news/rjd8m
Pakistan president says no need for world to fear China’s rise
- President Asif Ali Zardari’s statement dispels the notion that China’s ambitious foreign infrastructure push has saddled poor nations with ‘hidden debt’
- China is a major ally and investor in Pakistan that has pledged over $65 billion in investment in road, infrastructure and development projects under CPEC
Pakistan cold wave to persist into February as more snow forecast in north
- Cold wave to last until Feb 1 nationwide, longer in northern regions
- Authorities urge tourists to avoid unnecessary travel during snowfall
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ongoing cold wave is expected to persist across much of the country until the end of the month, with freezing conditions likely to continue into mid-February in mountainous northern regions as more rain and snowfall are forecast, a senior meteorological official said on Tuesday.
The warning comes as a fresh western weather system is set to bring intermittent rain and light-to-moderate snowfall to parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and northern Punjab, raising concerns over travel disruptions and road safety in mountainous areas.
“The cold wave in the country will continue until February 1, but in Murree, the Galyat region, and other hilly areas, this wave will persist until February 15,” Anjum Nazir Zaigham, Deputy Director at the Met Department, told Arab News.
The Galyat region refers to a cluster of hill resorts and mountain towns in northern Pakistan, straddling parts of Murree and Abbottabad districts in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“This season, 102 inches of snow were recorded in Malam Jabba, 67 inches in Kalam, 37 inches in Babusar, and 30 inches in Murree,” he added.
Pakistan has experienced one of its harsher winter spells this season, with heavy snowfall recorded at several popular hill stations, prompting authorities to restrict vehicle movement in vulnerable areas and deploy additional personnel to manage traffic and emergency response, particularly in tourist destinations such as Murree.
In an advisory issued Tuesday afternoon, the Met Office said westerly winds were likely to bring further intermittent rain and snowfall over areas including Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kalam, Shangla, Kohistan, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Buner, Murree, the Galyat region, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan over the next few hours.
Authorities have also urged tourists to avoid unnecessary travel during snowfall, while local administrations have been coordinating snow clearance, traffic diversions and emergency services.
Tens of thousands of tourists flock to Pakistan’s scenic north every winter to witness snowfall, often neglecting warnings from disaster management authorities.
In January 2022, at least 21 people, including children, died after they were stuck in freezing temperatures during a snowstorm in the Pakistani hill station of Murree.
