Ahsan Iqbal meets CPC leader: Strong Xinjiang-GB link vital for CPEC success

URUMQI, CHINA: Former federal minister Professor Ahsan Iqbal here on Sunday called on Ma Xingrui, Member of the Polit Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the CPC [Communist Party of China] Xinjiang Uyghurs Autonomous Regional Committee.

He was accompanied by Senator Mahmood-ul-Hassan and other officials of the Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing, a news release said.

The Chinese side also included Erkin Tuniyas, Governor of Xinjiang, Chen Weijun, Executive Vice-Chairman of the People’s Government of Xinjiang, Kaysar Abdukerin, Vice Chairman of the People’s Government of Xinjiang and other high-ranking officials from Xinjiang.

Warmly welcoming the Pakistani side, Party Secretary Ma Xingrui remarked that both countries have withstood the vicissitudes of times, despite the global political landscape.

He conveyed President Xi Jinping’s strong commitment to further solidify Pakistan-China strategic cooperative partnerships in diverse fields.

Party Secretary Ma lauded the statesmanship, professionalism and educational background of Prof Ahsan Iqbal which enabled valuable contribution towards the development and success of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

He called him a seasoned and accomplished politician to make more contributions toward the success of CPEC in the future.

He remarked that President Xi Jinping desired to make CPEC an “exemplary” Project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), with Xinjiang playing a central role in regional and economic development.

The Party Secretary reaffirmed his Government’s strong commitment to fully realize the potential of the Khunjrab-Sost-Kashgar border market.

Prof Ahsan Iqbal congratulated the senior leadership of Xinjiang on the successful hosting of the China-Eurasia Commodity and Trade Expo-2023 in Urumqi.

He praised the CPC leadership for achieving significant industrial growth and economic development besides addressing terrorism and extremism issues in Xinjiang.

Remarking that Xinjiang is strategically located on the map of the world, Professor Iqbal termed Xinjiang as a “gateway” to Pakistan and proposed to establish a Border Market across Khunjrab Pass to promote trade, development and investment across both countries.

In that context, he shared his vision to connect Xinjiang with Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Gwadar regions through the development of road and railway networks, which could provide Xin Jiang shortest route to the seaport.

While recalling the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership between the two “iron brothers” he also proposed to establish a dedicated Joint Working Group on the promotion of trade, development and cultural cooperation between GB and Xinjiang, under the framework of CPEC.

Highlighting the importance of CPEC, Professor Iqbal termed the Project “strategic” and emphasized the importance of working together for the completion of the second phase of the high-quality development of CPEC.

He said “Strong links between Xin Jiang and Gilgit-Baltistan are vital for the success of CPEC.

He urged the need for exchange programmes between Xin Jiang & GB universities for promoting youth engagement.

Senator Mahmood-ul-Hassan proposed to streamline custom clearance procedures at Tashgurkan and Urumqui airports to facilitate trade and commercial activities.

He highlighted the need to further promote cooperation in the fields of agriculture and livestock while transferring breeding technology to Pakistan.

Emphasizing the importance of enhancing trade and investment cooperation, he invited Chinese enterprises from the Xinjiang region to participate in the Pakistan-Xinjiang Trade and Investment Conference in Pakistan.

Party Secretary Ma Xingrui accepted the proposal to establish a border market at the Pak-China border and directed to establish a team to work out details.

Both sides agreed to establish a Joint Working Group to develop a long-term Collaboration Plan through structured engagement between GB and Xinjiang for the enhancement of trade, development, investment and connectivity. It was termed necessary to strengthen people-to-people contacts, cultural and educational exchange programmes between the two sides.

The Pakistani side extended a cordial invitation to Party Secretary Ma Xingrui to undertake a visit to Pakistan at an early date, who graciously accepted the invitation.