Most Pakistanis belong to that community who were uniquely blessed to be guided and advised, fourteen centuries back, to seek knowledge even if it required the rigours of travel to China.
Distances then, in terms of travel time, weren’t as short as they are today due to technological advancements; and to put the perspective right, it isn’t us, who helped shorten the geographical distances.
Since the exhortation, many have travelled several times over but have mostly returned empty handed (empty mind). They are adamant not to learn from that ancient civilisation.
The “arrogance of self-sufficiency “in knowledge, skill and talent is so predominantly delusional that most of us are desirous to “teach” others — this is held more in line of a vengeance, akin to the oft used remark “I will teach you a lesson” and this stance overshadows our national thinking. Only a few of the compatriots appreciate and understand the importance of our relationship with the People’s Republic of China.
Recently, the Karachi Editors Club held a grand function to welcome the new Consul General of China in Karachi. The invitation card mentioned a “Chief Guest”, who failed to show up, leaving the organisers and the guests totally embarrassed before our Chinese friends.
They (the Chinese) were gracious to ignore the faux pas. Is that the way to show respect to a friend who continues to stand with us during times when our traditional friends and brothers from the Middle East are showing lukewarm attention to our economic predicament, given the toughness of the IMF (for good reasons is another issue)?
Yang Yundong is the 17th CG of China in Karachi. He is a career diplomat, with a Masters degree, having earlier served at Brussels, Toronto and at the Headquarters in Beijing, handling the important portfolios of European Division and The General Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has succeeded Li Bijian, who was very approachable.
Pak-Sino relations have withstood the tests of the vagaries of changing global political and economic order. In his address, the CG stated several times that the two nations are indeed ‘Iron Clad’ brothers. He also covered in detail the multi-dimensional relationship that exists since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1952 between the two countries.
The CG remarked in this context, “On 21st May, 1951, breaking through the barriers of ideology and the Cold War Iron Curtain, the two countries formally established diplomatic relations. Over the past 72 years, it has turned into an unbreakable “Iron Clad friendship”. The other salient feature of Yang’s speech covered the following:
a. “This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the launch of the CPEC. Over the past decade, the CPEC has brought US$25.4 billion in direct investment to Pakistan, accumulated reserves of $17.55 billion, tax payments of $2.12 billion, created 192,000 job opportunities, and assisted Pakistan in adding 6000 megawatts of electricity to the national grid, 510 kms of highways, making significant contributions to promoting Pakistan’s economic and social well-being. …CPEC has become a name brand of China-Pakistan cooperation.” He quoted Chinese President Xi Jinping who, during a visit to Pakistan, had remarked, “Having gone through weal and woe together, we couldn’t feel more gratified to have each other as great neighbor and friend.”
b. As part of sharing significant Chinese knowledge on how to transform the economy and take it to next level of orbit, he mentioned: “Last October, the Communist Party of China held its 20th National Congress, initiating a new journey towards building a modern socialist country in all respects…the goal of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through a Chinese path to modernisation.” He went on to describe what is meant by Chinese modernisation: “it has distinctive Chinese characteristics, this is a huge population, common prosperity for all, material and cultural- ethical advancement, harmony between humanity and nature, and peaceful development.
The facts have proven that China’s march towards modernisation is an increase in the forces of peace and strengthening of justice”. This pledge is in itself a complete economic and political vision. If we cannot visualize and write our own, we can at least copy it.
Yang informed the audience that in building a modernist socialist state, the economy needs an average annual GDP growth rate of 4.8%, for this the economy is on track and is expected to click a rate of 5% growth.
Today the Chinese economy is only next to the United States of America’s. In his concluding remarks he referred to his new assignment as a ‘sacred mission’ to expand comprehensive cooperation and exchanges; in doing this the following were identified as issues of immediate concern and action: K3 nuclear power plant, Thar coalfield, block 1&2; KCR, Gwadar East Bay Expressway, Gwadar airport and the Friendship hospital. Graciously, he invited all friends to strengthen the relationship.
The question: will we ever want to learn from our great neighbor? If readers were to scan the archives of this very newspaper, they would find several of my articles, some dating back to mid- nineties, that dwell on the need to foster greater economic collaboration between us and China.
Having lived a significant part of my career in the Far East and almost a year in Beijing, this scribe was confident that the speed of Chinese economic growth would make them to become the largest economy of the world. They are today knocking at that status.
The articles of mine identified areas of cooperation from where we could gather and learn from the Chinese experience. These exhortations, turned into lamentations, for the lack of interest to do anything about it; and now it is like: will we ever charter our bonds of friendship into formidable and strong economic relationship?
There is in my view a successive and collective failure to translate the close political friendship into an enhanced economic relationship. Regrettably, our neighbours, who have a hostile relationship with Beijing, have a trade volume that exceeds $75 billion, against our measly volume of $15 billion or so (a figure that doesn’t match between the Customs authorities, of both countries).
Our total trade volume as a country is less than a major single Chinese state-owned corporation’s; say like SinoChem.
The Chinese experience of developing special economic zones is so outstandingly remarkable, why can’t we emulate, by taking from them advice and guidance; why can’t we take their blueprint, and tweak it for local application?
Why can’t our policy makers not appreciate with understanding that it is only through the emphasis of making our economy export-oriented that we can earn the $s to fund our reserves and to pay for our unstoppable imports.
As of now, every $ that we spend beyond the combined value of exports and home remittances is either an aid or a borrowing. The situation of spending in local currency is no different. The tax collections are significantly outstripped by our expenses.
Politicians can indulge in only rhetoric — each of ours can talk endlessly about how deeper than the oceans and higher than the Himalayas is the relationship; but when tasked to convert it into an economic union, they fail miserably. In fact, the technocrats are supposed to give and translate into a politico-economic relationship into doable parts. Even they have failed Pakistan. The Chinese are pragmatic; they believe in gradual growth, and not in spurts. We must learn from them how to sustain projects.
The lowest-hanging fruit is to seek their assistance to convert our neglected SEZs; especially those around the corridor. We must enshrine an industrial policy for these zones, guaranteeing repatriation of profits, tax concessions and holidays based on export performance.
We as a nation will have to learn to sacrifice; we must learn to earn before we spend hard currencies. The only option, besides the generous remittances that are sent by the dedicated overseas Pakistanis is promotion of exports.
Failure to do so will make us line up before multilateral financial institutions and other international financial institutions and even the friendly countries, who will soon cease to be friendly; given our wild sense of deja vu on receiving loans and grants. Is there any nation that celebrates borrowing? Perhaps not.
China is a friend. Let’s learn from them.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
The writer is a senior banker & freelance contributor
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