LAHORE – Stressing for enhanced people-to-people contacts to take Pak-China strategic partnership to new heights, China’s Ambassador in Islamabad Yao Jing Monday said his country had increased the number of its scholarships for study of Pakistani students in China up to 20,000 per annum – highest for any country in the world.
Speaking at a “China-Photo Exhibition” held at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), the China Ambassador said with enhanced people-to-people contacts and communication Pak-China relations would continue to gain strength from generations to generations.
“It is the people who matter in relationship,” he remarked.
The event was organized by the Chinese Study Center of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad as part of Chinese Lunar Year celebrations.
Ambassador Yao said the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a long-term project, adding with five years of work on CPEC, it was just the start of achieving the goals of socio-economic development in the region.
He said that China, in consultation with the Government of Pakistan, had decided to enter the next phase of CPEC which would focus on Investment, Joint Ventures, establishment of Special Economic Zones (SEZs), engagement in the power sector as well as export-oriented cooperation.
The Chinese Ambassador said the second area of focus for cooperation in the next phase of CPEC was social sector and the areas identified were education, health, agriculture, poverty reduction and human resources.
“We have to have a holistic and futuristic approach,” he said and added that in future the cooperation between Pakistan and China would encompass all areas including military, economic, development etc.
Ambassador Yao lauded the efforts of NUST in various disciplines of education including the science and technology and said the Chinese government and Embassy would continue to support the institution, considered as one of Pakistan’s leading educational institutions.
Earlier in his welcome remarks Rector NUST Lt. Gen. ® Naweed Zaman, HI (M), observed that commitment of the leadership of two countries to preparing the future generation for “knowledge economy” through closer educational collaboration.
He also highlighted various initiatives of NUST to have enhanced cooperation and collaboration with China and its educational institutions and thanked the Chinese side for their support.
Later, the Chinese Ambassador opened the exhibition by cutting a ribbon.
On this occasion he was also presented a souvenir by the Rector of NUST.
The event was participated by the NUST leadership, Faculty and China educated Graduates Alumni of NUST and other Universities in Islamabad.
The photos placed at the exhibition depicted China’s great progress over the past four decades of Reforms and Open Door Policy to the outside world.
