ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Culture Minister Huzaifa Rehman agreed to enhance tourism collaboration and advance cultural diplomacy in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Gao Zheng, in Beijing recently, Pakistani state media reported.
Pakistan, home to several snow-capped peaks in the Himalayan and Karakorum mountain ranges and ancient archaeological sites such as Mohenjo-Daro and Taxila, has immense potential for tourism.
Islamabad has recently pushed to promote its tourist spots to visitors worldwide by establishing air and land links with Central Asian republics and signing agreements to boost tourism with regional allies. Pakistan hopes tourism will help the country earn valuable foreign exchange whilst it grapples with a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.
Rehman met his Chinese counterpart Zheng in Beijing on Sunday, during which the two sides discussed advancing collaboration in tourism and other areas, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
“The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to advancing cultural diplomacy, enhancing tourism collaboration, and restoring shared heritage sites between Pakistan and China,” APP said in a report on Sunday.
Rehman expressed gratitude for China’s friendship and support to Pakistan, the report added.
The two sides discussed and agreed on launching joint projects to restore, preserve and digitally document historical landmarks in both countries. They also agreed to strengthen museum development partnerships and organize a series of cultural delegations, art exhibitions and film festivals.
They agreed on implementing training programs in museology and professional development for museum staff, while rolling out collaborative tourism campaigns and policy initiatives to boost visitor flows and cultural exploration, the APP report said.
The Chinese minister formally invited Rehman to attend the upcoming International Museum Conference scheduled to be held in China in September, which the Pakistani official accepted.
“This landmark meeting paves the way for actionable steps in the near future, setting a strategic roadmap for Pakistan–China cultural partnership and mutual heritage conservation,” the report said.
Apart from being a regional ally, China is also a major investor in Pakistan. Beijing has invested in a multi-billion-dollar project, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), that connects the two countries through a network of highways, railways and pipelines.
Since its initiation in 2013, CPEC has seen tens of billions of dollars funneled into massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan.
