Insights | Pakistan scholar: I am a follower of the Chinese development path

By Chen Caixia

(ECNS) -- “China is looking at steady domestic product growth towards the set target of around 5%, and it will have a stimulating effect on the economy for countries like Pakistan,” said Hassan Daud Butt, associate professor at Bahria University and former director of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, during an online interview with China News Network.

During December 2022, Dr. Butt took part in a two-month research in Beijing. He witnessed the impact of the (Chinese) government’s policies on ordinary people, whose buying powers and consumption activity were on the rise.

Butt expects that China will stage a much better recovery in 2023, since the country has seen significant improvement in overall consumption.

“I look at China as a factory of the world. So if the factory is operating and producing good-quality products that are cheap, I think this can also address some of the global economy's inflation challenges,” said Dr Butt.

Butt noticed that under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, China is taking very fundamental steps to pursue sustainable development regarding green environment, biodiversity and providing renewable sources of energy. He thinks other leading economies should take a look at it.

2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) and CPEC. As an expert investor, Butt said CPEC and BRI have done good work for socioeconomic stability in Pakistan since BRI has actually brought the world together and linked markets both from Asia and Europe to Turkey.

He also mentioned that a lot of infrastructure projects, energy products, fiber connectivity and agriculture products are now taking place in Pakistan.

“Some of our smaller towns are now linked with larger urban centers. Also, we are seeing numerous road networks being established, creating rural-urban synergy. This year, the Gwadar Airport and Gwadar Expressway will be ready and operational,” said Butt.

For the coming years, Butt hopes to see China and Pakistan have more cooperation projects, especially in agriculture, science and technology, special education, and the socioeconomic spectrum such as health care, vocational training and e-commerce.

Since 2012, China has helped nearly 100 million people out of poverty. Butt believes that the Chinese development path should be followed by all developing countries, because countries like Pakistan also have challenges such as poverty and unemployment. In his view, the Chinese path to modernization is a good model for Pakistan.

He also emphasized that China has created jobs for young people who entered higher education institutions, demonstrating its responsibility. China also makes significant efforts in terms of environmental protection, particularly in ensuring that there is no environmental degradation as it moves towards achieving a net zero carbon emission goal.

Butt highly appreciates these good steps taken by China. He thinks China’s high-quality development brings shared prosperity, which helps countries like Pakistan that seek win-win situations and shared benefits.

“I am a follower of the Chinese development path. China has developed beliefs in harmonious development, not just for itself, but also for its friends and partners. I think this is something that we should honor,” Butt concluded.