Insights丨Pakistani scholar: China's high-quality development invigorates economic transformation of Pakistan

 

By Chen Caixia, Meng Xiangjun

(ECNS) -- “This year’s Two Sessions, the focus may be more besides the discussions with what comes from the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), I think the more important aspect will be the Premier’s government work report,” said Hassan Daud, formal diplomat at the Pakistani Embassy in China and director of BRI & Regional Studies Global Governance Institute and SDPI, during an online interview with China News Network.

Daud pays close attention to some key numbers in the government work report, including the economic growth targets around 5 percent, creating about 12 million new urban jobs and 700 billion yuan will be earmarked in the Central Government budget for investment in 2024.

“All those measures will be good stimulus in the Chinese economy. They also will be helping the rest of the global economy and especially economies of countries like Pakistan,” said Daud, “because we want to work with China through China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).”

He also mentioned that what China is working out on domestically is expanding domestic demand. In his view, China is seeking the shift from the factory of the world to the knowledge factory of the world, so it works on lots of research and development. And with that support, it's an innovatory work towards new ideas, concepts, and new products.

“We are looking at Chinese growth in the automobile sector, especially in electric vehicle, clean energy, food and other sectors. And I think it will stimulate consumption and attract more investment coming to China,” said Daud.

Daud also emphasized that there will be more discussion on artificial intelligence (AI) Plus initiative, renewable energy, green transitioning, new green infrastructure development, and connectivity railway etc. “I think for us, these are very important, because it's now a fundamental part of our development agenda,” added Daud.

For the coming years, Daud hopes to see more cooperation projects between China and Pakistan, especially in energy, infrastructure, optical fiber connectivity, and education sectors.

Daud highly appreciates China’s continuous strides in the energy revolution and actively fostering the growth of a low-carbon economy. “In Pakistan, we are also looking at transitioning towards greener energy sources. So I think China's investment and technology support in renewable energy can help,”Daud concluded.