On the afternoon of August 24, 2021, Prof. Tao Yitao, Director of the China Center for Special Economic Zone Research (CCSEZR) and President of the Belt and Road Research Institute (Shenzhen) for International Cooperation and Development (BRRI), was invited to attend the online forum of "70th Anniversary of China-Pakistan Diplomatic Relations: Facing the Future" held by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI). Officials and scholars from Pakistan that attended the dialogue conference included Brig. (R) Raashid Wali Janjua, Acting President of IPRI; Moeed Yusuf, National Security Adviser of Pakistan; Ambassador Moin ul Haque, Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan; and Fazal ur Rahman, Director of the Pakistan Institute of China Studies, University of Sargodha. Personnel from China that attended the dialogue conference included Zhang Liguo, Deputy Division Director of Asia Division, Foreign Affairs Office of Shenzhen Municipal People's Government; Dr. Yun Wenjie from CCSEZR; and Wei Xin, Level I Principal Staff Member of Asia Division, Foreign Affairs Office of Shenzhen Municipal People's Government.
In the dialogue, Prof. Tao expressed that: “I am very grateful for the invitation by the IPRI and it’s my great honor to attend this forum. This year is the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations. Despite ups and downs over the past 70 years, China and Pakistan, two of the world's most populous countries, have become "hardcore" brothers. Many neighboring countries envy about and feel pressure from this close relationship. As a regional community of shared future, China and Pakistan have made mutual achievements. Common development and prosperity are our common goals and aspirations. Therefore, it is the joint effort of us to create benefits for each other, not the benefits themselves that make us become friends forever.”
In terms of the China-Pakistan economy, Prof. Tao believed that the dependence and complementarity of the China-Pakistan economy have been perfectly demonstrated in the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor through the combination of geopolitical advantage + capital and technological strength. The conduction and transmission of the industrial chain of the China-Pakistan economy depend partly on the logic of industry format, but to a considerable extent on the security of the investment environment in Pakistan, the authority of the government that can effectively allocate scarce resources following the laws of the market, and the necessity for the emancipation of the mind and the revolution of concepts. Economic development is never just a matter of the economy itself, but the result of social change.
Prof. Tao concluded her speech by talking about her connection with Pakistan. From December 20 to 23, 2017, she was invited to attend a seminar on the construction of special economic zones in Pakistan and delivered a keynote speech on the "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor" and the construction of special economic zones in Pakistan and other related topics. She also went to the IPRI and National University of Sciences and Technology and signed cooperation agreements with them. After that, she visited Pakistan twice, including the visit to the Rashakai Special Economic Zone in Peshawar, and built further understanding about Pakistan and further friendship with the Pakistani government, national think tanks and universities.
During the interaction session, Prof. Tao Yitao answered questions from the Pakistani side about regional security, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the construction of special economic zones. Prof. Tao Yitao believed that: (1). In the face of terrorist attacks, a stronger response must be given to win peace, instead of exchanging peace with tolerance and mercy. (2).The Gwadar Port has a special and important geographical location. It is about 460 km from Karachi in the east, 120 km from the Pakistan-Iran border in the west, adjacent to the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean in the south, located at the bay mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, and only about 400 km from the Strait of Hormuz, which is the main channel for global oil transportation. It is a sea gate for entrepot trade of East Asian countries and inland countries in Central Asia, and can directly reach South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. About 60% of China's energy supply comes from the Middle East, and about 80% of China’s oil imports pass through the Strait of Malacca. With the completion and operation of Gwadar Port, it will become an important energy entrepot trade center and trade logistics center. This will also drive the simultaneous development of industries and even information, digital economy and financial services associated with the Gwadar Port. However, without the unique geographical location of the Gwadar Port, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will lose its value to a significant extent; without Chinese capital and technology invested in the Gwadar Port, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will also lose its vitality. (3). On the one hand, the stronger the Chinese economy, the stronger the "neighborhood effect" and "diffusion effect" that will benefit its neighboring regions; on the other hand, the better the investment environment in Pakistan, the stronger the utilization level of such "neighborhood effect" and "diffusion effect". If Pakistan can make good use of the processing industry transferred from China, just like Shenzhen successfully used the labor-intensive industries transferred from Hong Kong 42 years ago, it may not only solve the employment problem, but also accelerate the industrialization process of the country by virtue of "export substitution" to increase foreign exchange earnings and raise people's standard of living. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor should become an economic growth pole of Pakistan, just like Shenzhen in China, to continuously accomplish social changes through its development and drive the economic development of the surrounding areas and even the whole Pakistan. A strong country and a happy life are the common good wishes of the people of China and Pakistan.
Prof. Tao said: “It is our common responsibility and mission to share wisdom and ideas and explore ways and means for the common development of China and Pakistan together with the counterparts in Pakistan. Wish our cooperation be as everlasting as the friendship between China and Pakistan!” Many of her points were highly endorsed by the Pakistani participants.
