BEIJING, Jan.27 : The first information platform for China-Pakistan agricultural and industrial cooperation was launched, echoing the priority agenda of the second phase of CPEC, which is Pakistan’s agricultural and industrial development and improvement of social welfare.
Jointly initiated by China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) and China Economic Net (CEN), the platform will serve as a bridge between Pakistani and Chinese enterprises to enhance B2B cooperation.
According to Gwadar Pro, it will provide the latest news, research findings, and products in agricultural and industrial sectors, and share investment and cooperation opportunities for potential partners.
The platform, relying on its offline organization Pakistan-China Agriculture Corporation Exchange Center (PCACEC), will also organize forums, match-making meetings, and exchange activities for Pakistani and Chinese enterprises looking for business cooperation.
Addressing the launching ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong said further agricultural and industrial cooperation between China and Pakistan will produce mutual benefits and win-win results for both countries.
He noted that the year 2021 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations. Over the past seven decades, the two countries have always been trusting and supporting each other regardless of the ever-changing international and regional landscape.
“We stand ready to take this opportunity to work with the Pakistani government and people to enrich and deepen the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and continue to advance CPEC construction to bring more benefits to the two peoples.”
Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque said the platform was important and momentous as Pakistan and China are celebrating the 70 years of establishment of diplomatic ties.
He thanked the Chinese government and enterprises for their support to Pakistan in the agriculture sector and looked forward to the role of the platform in facilitating Pakistan’s endeavour in agricultural and industrial modernization.
Chairman of CPEC Authority Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa hailed the inauguration of the Information Platform as a “historic event”. He said, “it couldn’t be a better time to initiate the program when we are now entering into a digital era and the Pakistani government is embarking on a reform in the agricultural sector, expecting to learn from China’s experience and technologies to improve the added value of agricultural products.”
Asim also acclaimed the achievements of the early harvest programs of CPEC, saying the agricultural development is gaining momentum due to the solid foundation laid in the first phase of CPEC.
On behalf of Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Director-General (China) of MoFA Muhammad Mudassir Tipu said, agricultural cooperation between China and Pakistan will promote the productivity of industries in both countries.
“In my recent exchanges with the Chinese Foreign Minister, I learned that the governments of the two countries attach great importance to the agricultural cooperation and further development of CPEC.
To this end, relevant departments of Pakistan, such as the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Chinese partners, have taken a series of efforts and measures,” Tipu said, quoting the Minister. “I hope the information platform can further utilize the respective advantages of China and Pakistan to further promote the development of CPEC.”
As one of the founders of the Platform, CMEC has a deep understanding of the Pakistani market and its development in the past four decades, a long time span CMEC has endured since it entered the country in the 1980s.
“Pakistan is a traditional agricultural country, but there is still a gap between its overall agricultural development and that of the international.
Therefore we established the Pakistan-China Agricultural Cooperation and Exchange Center in the first place in 2019 and now the Information Platform, in a wish to vitalize cooperation between the enterprises and research institutions of the two sides and promote Pakistan’s development in agriculture,” Li Kan, Assistant to General Manager of CMEC said at the occasion.
The representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China Li Kaihang, while having reviewed the trajectories of agriculture cooperation between Pakistan and China, pointed out the two countries can further extend the cooperation to the sectors of crop varieties breeding, aquaculture technologies, agricultural products processing, and talents training etc.
He stressed the role of enterprises as a mainstay in the cause of Pakistan’s agricultural development.
Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation of CAAS Ms. Ke Xiaohua made a comprehensive review of Pakistan-China joint agricultural research programs, of which CAAS has undertaken the majority.
As per the introduction, CAAS has cooperated with Pakistani institutes, universities, and government departments to join the establishment of the China-Pakistan Joint Laboratory for Cotton Biotechnology, the “Sino-Pak Hybrid Rice Research Center”, and the Pakistan-China Center for Sustainable Management of Plant Pests.
As China’s major organization for agricultural international cooperation, CAAS is committed to contributing more to Pakistan in the areas of biotechnological breeding, plant protection, animal disease prevention and control, and agro-product processing.
Experts from the agricultural sector, including Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Liu Guodao, Vice President of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Liu Hanwu, Representative of China Agricultural Association for International Exchange, and representatives from enterprises.
