The Great Peoples of China will celebrate 58th Anniversary of their Founding Day on First October 2007, the arduous journey underwent many ups and downs starting from famous Long March till Open Door Policy, that has brought fruits of prosperity to the Peoples of China, of course, the credit goes to the dedicated and devoted Leadership and Public who successfully placed them in the comity of nations through out this hectic journey.
Although the 58 years are not a longer period in the histories of the nations but how successfully Chinese nation attained these enviable achievements matter a lot. People's Republic of China having land size of 9,600,000 sq.km making it roughly the same area as the continental United States and around whole Europe and located at east of Asian continent on the western shore of the pacific ocean, having boundaries with fourteen countries namely Korea, Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.
China being the World's most populous country having a population of about 1.30756 billion has developed a positive image as a big market and which means one fifth of the world's total population. The population may be more as this figure does not include the Chinese living in the Hong Kong & Macao which are Special Administrative Regions. Accordingly population density is around 135 peoples per sq km which is four times greater than that of the US.
China is multi-ethnic country and Chinese population is having 91.6 % Han nationality whereas non-Hun population includes 55 ethnic minorities of which the major groups are the Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uygur, Yi, Tujia, Mongolian and Tibetan.
Most of Chinese live in the middle and lower reaches of the Chinese famous Yellow River, Yangtze River and Pearl River Valleys and the northeast Plain, But in 2000 under " GO WEST" campaign Chinese government helped relatively backward Western & central area to catch up with more affluent Eastern China.
Administratively China is made up of 23 Provinces, 5 Autonomous Regions, 4-Municipalities directly under the Central Government and 2-special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao.
New China while celebrating its 58th birthday, its leadership is of the strong view that Asia being a vast continent with time honoured history, splendid culture, rich resources and a large population with their hard working manpower should play its due role and turn the 21st contrary as Asian Century. The Chinese Leadership believes that most of the Asian countries that gained independence after the mid-20th now enjoy peace and stability in their respective domains.
Many Asian Countries and regions have achieved leapfrog economic development, emerged as industrial nations and life is getting better for the Asian Peoples. Since 2000 Asia's GDP has grown by over 6% annually, contributing to 20% of the world economic growth. Presently Asia's economy, trade and foreign exchange reserves respectively makes up one fourth, one third and three fourth of the world total respectively.
What is particularly encouraging is that the sustained development in individual Asian countries has led to increasingly closer economic links with in the region flourishing regional dialogue and cooperation, expanding common interest and heightening awareness of their Asian identity. Development and cooperation in Asia is getting unprecedented momentum.
Asia has become the most dynamic region with the greatest development potential in the world and an engine driving world economic growth. It is playing an increasingly important role in promoting the noble cause of peace and development of mankind. So Chinese Leadership is fully confident in a bright future of Asia and China therefore seems keenly interested to play its vital role.
In this prospective China always encourages the activities to maintain peace & stability in Asia and actively enhancing regional cooperation among Asian countries. In this regard dynamics for cooperation mechanisms have been set up which are functioning very well like ASEAN plus China, Japan, & South Korea, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Asia Cooperation Dialogue, South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation and East Asia Summit. All these initiatives helped in boosting the regional cooperation in Asia.
China is also active in accelerating scientific and technological innovations as inexhaustible source of strength for Asia's development. China is of the view to conserve Asian resources and protect the environment as a integral part for Asian People's development as the Asian nations are in process of accelerated industrialisation and urbanisation therefore balance resources conservation and environmental protection on the one hand and industrialisation on the other is a major challenge to face.
In order to achieve the desired goals in the Asia, China is promoting harmony as core theme for development as more then 1000 ethnic groups are living there speak over 2000 different languages.
These five points are indicative of China's seriousness in Asia and its development is inseparably linked with the common interests of the mankind as China is already working on same lines having one fifth of the World population. These efforts of the Chinese Leadership are historic its valuable contributions towards the mankind. By developing itself and realising the objective of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.
China in the past three decades of reforms & opening -up of its economy has maintained an average annual growth rate of 9.6%. China's GDP reached about US $2.63 trillion in 2006, ranking fourth in the World. China's export and import hit US $1.76 trillion, making it the third largest trading nation in the world.
China since joining the WTO in 2000 has been importing nearly US $500 Billion of goods every year and has created about 10 million jobs for the exporting countries and regions concerned. China's import maintained US $791.6 billion. The figure included US $525.5 billion or 66.4 % of its import from other Asian countries and regions.
China has absorbed a total of US $685 billion of paid-up foreign investment since it adopted the reform and opening-up policy. Over 6, 00,000 foreign-funded companies have been set-up in China. More then 480 of the Fortune-500 companies have made investment in China. Foreign-funded- enterprises in China have remitted overseas more than US $280 billion of profits from 1990 to 2005.
Chinese Government gives high priority to independent innovation and Chinese's goal is to turn China into an innovation-based country by 2020, for this purpose they have formulated the outlines of the short-middle & long term plans.
In this connection, in March 2006 during 4th Session of the 10th National People's Congress adopted the 11th Five Year Plan for National Economic & Social Development (2006-2010) which contains two major goals for the country's development in the next five years which include GDP upped 7.5% annually on average and energy consumption per unit of GDP down 20%. In the planned development goals in other areas, China is spending out of total GDP from 1.3% in 2005 to 2% in 2010 in R&D sector. Comprehensive use of solid industrial waste rate from 55.8% in 2005 to 60% in 2010, total acreage of cultivated land down from 122 million hectors in 2005 to 120 million in 2010.New jobs created for Urban residents is reaching to 45 million in five years, number of rural labourers transferred to non-agriculture sectors has reached 45 million in five years.
China's relationship with Pakistan is well known and taken in high esteem in the comity of nations. " The bedrock of our bilateral bonds is a strong faith and trust in each other that we have nurtured with care and devotion", These words of President General Pervez Musharraf reflect the importance of Pak-China relations with a known cliché that " friendship Higher than the Himalayas, Deeper than the Oceans and Sweeter then Honey, this friendship is rooted in the ethos of the peoples of two countries."
Although on 21st May 1951, Islamic Republic of Pakistan & People's Republic of China established their official Diplomatic Relations , Pakistan recognised China on 4th January 1950. Major-General N. A. M. Raza was first Pakistani Ambassador to China who served from 1951 to 1954 and later on second time he served as Ambassador to China from 1962-1966 where as Mr Han Nianlong was first Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan where he served from 1951 to 1956.
The friendship of Pakistan and China is known as exemplary friendship throughout the world and no doubt both countries attached great importance to these relationship.
With the passage of time Pakistan & China have developed an exemplary state-to-state relationship on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan & China 56 years ago, Pakistan-China good-neighbourly and friendly relations, fostered by the successive generations of leaders of both countries, have been growing from strength to strength and bilateral cooperation remain fruitful.
During recent successful visit of President General Pervez Musharraf to China, the first quarter of this year was declared as 55th Anniversary celebrations of Pak-China Diplomatic Relations (1951-2006), apart from political interaction, special importance was given to the economic and commercial cooperation and further understanding in this field. However, the Balance of Trade between Pakistan & China is not very impressive and needs special attention.
China with a population of more then 1.3 billion is one fifth of the world, having literacy rate of 90.9 % leading not only Asia but emerging as leading economic power of the World as presently China is having 472 International & national Airports, with Road communication total length of more than 18,00,000 kms and Railway track length is around 71,000 kms. With 23 provinces and 5 autonomous regions and 4 municipalities directly under the control of Central government, now China has emerged as a World with in a world, as China has 56 ethnic groups, 91.9% are Han Chinese whereas Muslim are around 21 Million in China.
As our President mentioned during his visit to china that Gwadar Port project on the Arabian Sea coast in the Pakistan Province Balochistan through which crude oil is imported from Iran & Africa can be transported to the Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region through Land route and for this purposes feasibility study is being conducted and after completion it will provide a shortcut via the Straits of Malacca. The China contributed about US $200 million for the construction of the port's first phase which was completed last April when Honourable Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Pakistan and now during recent past high level contacts, China has reportedly agreed to finance the second phase of the Project which will have nine more berths, an approach channel and storage terminals.
Pakistan & China bilateral trade volume reached US $ 4.26 billion in 2005, up from US $3.06 Billion in 2004 showing steady growth in economic relations between the two countries, according to figures released in China recently. The two countries are negotiating a free trade agreement aiming at pushing the total trade exchange to US $8 billion by the year 2008.
China's assistance to Pakistan with development projects in the fields of communication, nuclear energy, defence production and training, health and education.
As this year is named as 55th Anniversary of Pakistan and China's Diplomatic Relations we will call this year as 55th Anniversary of Friendship. The celebrations of this year was started with the visit of our President to China and with a signing of 13 MOUs in various fields of life for further cooperation and understanding which will go a long way in the history of both countries and help the socio-economic development of economic sectors of Pakistan.
On this occasion a look on very impressive activities and achievement of most active organisations non-governmental organisations like Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) China established in early 60's & Pak-China Friendship Association (PCFA) NWFP-which was established in 1970 played very role in strengthening the relationship and people's to people's contacts since then. Peshawar-the capital city of North West Frontier Province of Pakistan was declared sister city with Urumqi-capital city of Xinjioang Ugyar Autonomous Region of China in 1985 last year (2005) 20th Anniversary of this twining was celebrated and Vice-Chairman of Xingjian lead a 7-members delegation to attend the celebrations and more recently in 2005 a major city of NWFP, Abbott bad was declared twin with historic city of Kashgar in May-2005 and declared twin cities in April 2007,now more twining of Pakistani cities with those of Chinese cities is under considerations.
CPAFFC-China's 9th National Council Meeting was held in Beijing in May this year and more then 330 council members from all over the China attended the national event. A special report titled CPAFFC's Aims of Friendship, Cooperation, Peace & Friendship and Striving for A Harmonious World of Lasting Peace and Common Development was delivered by CPAFFC President Chen Haosu and amendments of the status of the CPAFFC made by Madam Li Xiaolin Vice-President also approved in this successful conference.
The CPAFFC-China invited more then 1600 delegations with 19500 person/time from about100 countries in last five years and also sent 60 delegations consenting of more then 8,100 people to some 90 countries and also arrange 358 celebrations for the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and other countries along with other large scale activities. CPAFFC-China also elect Mr Chen Haosu as President while Madam Li Xiaolin, Jing Dunquan, Feng Zuoku, Li Jinaping as Vice-Presidents and Mr Luo Qin as Secretary-General for next five years 2007-2011, PCFA NWFP-Pakistan extends its felicitations to their elections and hope that during their tenure China-Pakistan people to people interaction will further strengthen and more exchanges will be held.
On the invitation of PCFA NWFP-Pakistan a 7-members high level CPAFFC-China delegation visited Pakistan from 18-22 December 2006. Madam Li Xiaolin was leading the delegation. Apart from visiting Peshawar the delegations also visited Islamabad & Lahore. During their visit the delegation also signed MOU with PCFA-NWFP for further promotion of understanding and strengthening the relationship.
More than 2000 years ago, famous Chinese scholars including Xuan Zang and Fa Xian travelled to Taxila- a city located in the north of Islamabad-federal capital of Pakistan to study Buddhist scriptures as this city was houses the most precious and historic archives of Buddhist remains. These journeys have been mentioned in the famous Chinese novel " Xi You Ji" which means Pilgrimage to the West. One of the important founders of Tibetan Buddhism Sambahava belonged to Swat Valley an important city of NWFP in northern Pakistan and he also travelled to the Tibet of China more than a thousand years ago.
Mr Salman Bashir, the 17th Pakistani Ambassador in China is playing very important and vital role in enhancing and strengthening these relationships like his reedbucks Mr Riaz Muhammad Khan presently Foreign Secretary of Pakistan right from Major-General N.A.M.Raza, the first Pakistani Ambassador to China till present Ambassador Salman Bashir and on Chinese side right from Han Nianlong the first Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan till to newly arrived Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui who is also very keen to further strengthen the present relationship with special reference to economic & social sectors. During a recent meeting with this writer, he showed his interest in further promoting understanding and cooperation between China & Pakistan.
Briefly, while our Chinese brothers are celebrating their 58th Birthday and with strong economic strength, we at Pakistan also proud of China's friendship and we consider it as our strength but we also must improve ourselves in order to get a dignified place in the international community.
(The Writer is Secretary-General, Pakistan-China Friendship Association NWFP & President Radio China Listener's Club NWFP Email: sang_91@hotmail.com)