The official launch of the Pakistan National Pavilion at the Wuhan Financial Holdings Central China Trade Service Zone, coupled with the visit of Pakistani media and think tank delegations to Wuhan, serves as a vivid testament to the deepening all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between China and Pakistan.
It fully demonstrates that, with extensive participation from local governments, non-governmental organizations, and the social sectors, the foundation of bilateral cooperation is being steadily consolidated and strengthened.
This was stated by Prof Cheng Xizhong, Senior Research Fellow at the Charhar Institute, a non-governmental Chinese think-tank on diplomacy and international studies based in Beijing.
Wuhan’s practices demonstrate that China-Pakistan cooperation has transcended large-scale national-level projects and expanded into in-depth collaboration at the sub-national, non-governmental and multi-sectoral levels. As a landmark platform for local exchanges and cooperation, the Pakistan National Pavilion at the Wuhan Financial Holdings Central China Trade Service Zone dismantles trade barriers for Pakistani local enterprises, artisans and agricultural producers, opening a new gateway to the vast Chinese market, he said.
Prof Cheng said that, supported by streamlined market access procedures, efficient logistics services via Yangluo Port, and thriving cross-border e-commerce livestreaming, people-to-people and business ties between the two sides have become increasingly closer.
This enables distinctive Pakistani products, including gemstones, agricultural commodities and handicrafts, to reach ordinary consumers across China. Meanwhile, agricultural cooperation initiatives between Wuhan-based enterprises and rural regions in Pakistan have introduced advanced hybrid crop technologies to the country, helping raise local farmers’ incomes and further strengthening grassroots people-to-people friendship and mutual understanding.
The active engagement of local governments, private enterprises, media outlets, think tanks and social organizations on both sides injects robust vitality into bilateral cooperation. Such multi-level, all-round participation anchors China-Pakistan cooperation firmly among the general public, secures wide support from all walks of life, and forges an even more solid and sustainable foundation for long-term ties, he added.
He remarked that with such diversified and in-depth cooperation, China-Pakistan friendly relations will gain greater resilience. Practical cooperation platforms exemplified by the Pakistan National Pavilion in Wuhan will keep advancing mutually beneficial and win-win outcomes, further consolidating the time-honored, enduring friendship between the two nations.
