China wants better economic ties in Asia

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: China is pursuing a policy to increase economic cooperation and improve relations with its neighbours in the South Asian region, speakers at the two-day seminar on ‘China and the Emerging Regional Strategic Balance’ said on Friday.

The Foundation for Research on International Environment, National Development and Security (FRIENDS) in collaboration with Hanns Seidel Foundation had organised the seminar.

The foreign affairs scholars and researchers and from Pakistan, India, China and Germany discussed the developments taking place in Asia with special focus on Chinese role.

In his concluding remarks, General (r) Mirza Aslam Beg, chairman Friends, said although China was setting the peace paradigm in Asia, India’s role was pivotal in future strategic balance in the area.

“India’s role in peace in Asia is critical because it (India) is being pursued by rivals like China, the US and Russia to enter with them in a strategic partnership being one of the world’s leading economy in the near future,” he said.

China was pursuing a policy of friendship and economic cooperation, which showed results in the past but the US pursued the policy of achieving the primacy and dominance through its military and economic might, he said.

“The US is pursuing India to become its strategic defence partner against China in the area, while China is developing economic friendship with India also involving Russia to reduce the American influence in the area through strategic partnership,” Mirza Aslam Beg said.

He said China had achieved its targets “without firing a shot” including reunification of Hong Kong and Macao and agreements with the Oil Producing and Exporting Countries (OPEC) to ensure supply of energy, whereas the US had failed even after waging a war that cost it $5billion a day to secure the strategic oil producing areas in Iraq and Central Asia.

“China has come out with a clear policy of economic cooperation and friendship with its neighbours at least in the first half of the 21st century but India is yet to spell out its policy,” he said.

He asked the people of India to urge their government to pursue the policy of friendship, cooperation and prosperity instead of going for hegemonic designs, which would no longer work in the modern world.

Earlier, MJ Akbar of India speaking on the nuclear security paradigm in South Asia said that Pakistan and India had shown maturity after testing their nuclear weapons in 1998.

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