China’s role enhanced in global politics, economics: Ambassador Naghmana Hashmi on two sessions

Beijing: Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Naghmana Hashmi said on Friday that the “two sessions” had come to occupy increasing importance in view of China’s enhanced role in global politics and economics in the last three decades.

“The two sessions enjoy great significance in the annual political calendar of China. They have come to occupy increasing importance in view of China’s enhanced role in global politics and economics in the last three decades,” she told Global Times while commenting on China’s Two Sessions of this year, the country’s most important political event, opened on Thursday after a two-month delay due to the Covid-19 epidemic.

“This year’s sessions, however, are even more important as they are being held at a critical juncture when the international community is grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic with the specter of impending global recession looming large,” she added.

Ambassador Hashmi said the upcoming sessions would deliberate upon an array of issues with implications not only for China but for the world at large.
“Since China’s economy is greatly integrated and enmeshed with the global economy, ‘The Plan for China’s Economic and Social Development for 2020’ to be reviewed in the upcoming National People’s Congress session would be of great interest, both for local and international observers,” She added.

She said in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was also expected that the two sessions would deliberate on the measures to improve healthcare and emergency response system including refining the existing laws for prevention of infectious diseases, and wildlife protection.

“I would also be looking forward to the discussion on the draft civil code which would be submitted to the NPC session for final deliberations. The draft civil code is the most extensive legislation covering various aspects of private life. Its various provisions, in fact, are the product of necessities of current time,” she added.

Ambassador Hashmi said the draft civil code, if passed, would constitute a major milestone in constitutional history of China.

“I am hopeful that the upcoming two sessions would be an important event to brainstorm new ideas which would further promote the prosperity and development of China and bring the nation a step closer to achieving its two centenary goals,” she added.

Meanwhile, talking to China Daily, Ambassador Hashmi said that Pakistan and China are “All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partners” and “Iron Brothers,” most reliable partners and closest neighbors, as both countries enjoy wide-ranging engagements in political, economic and cultural spheres.

“Our bilateral ties are based on convergence of interests and are rooted in common experiences of the past, cultural affinity, mutual trust and understanding,” she added.

Ambassador Hashmi said both the countries had deepened their all-weather cooperation in recent years and expanded bilateral ties in diverse fields of cooperation for mutual benefit.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan has demonstrated his total commitment to further deepening bilateral ties with China amply manifested in the three visits he paid in less than two years. President Arif Alvi also visited China in March this year to express solidarity with the Chinese people in their war against COVID-19 pandemic,” she added.

Ambassador Hashmi said both the countries were now trying to bring their economic and trade relations at par with their political relations. In the past, both countries had concluded agreements to enhance bilateral cooperation in trade, infrastructure, industrial cooperation and cultural cooperation, devising various mechanisms for their implementation.

“I am satisfied to note that our cooperation has yielded positive results with mutual benefits. Thanks to our bilateral cooperation, Pakistan has succeeded in laying a robust and solid infrastructure network to support its growing economy and overcome festering energy shortages which stifled our growth,” she added.

Ambassador Hashmi said both the countries now look forward to build upon these gains, extending them to other unexplored territories and working together on an array of projects for the socio-economic uplift of the people of Pakistan.

The successful conclusion of Phase-II of China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement (CPEC) has opened a new window to spur our bilateral trade.

“We are also determined to timely complete all ongoing CPEC projects and make it a high quality development project of the Belt and Road Initiative. The leadership of the two countries have forged the consensus that Phase-II of CPEC would focus on poverty alleviation, socio-economic development, agriculture and the industrial development in Pakistan,” she added.

She said, “We are devising policies to attract Chinese entrepreneurs for investment in above areas for a robust, inclusive and sustainable growth. We are also hopeful to make a positive headway in building Main Line-I railway project, which carries immense significance for Pakistan.”

The ambassador expressed the confident that with the strategic vision and guidance of leadership of our two countries; toil and labor of our respective departments, and the support of our people, all our ideas and expectations for further development of all-weather bilateral ties would be materialized.