Remarks by Ambassador Jiang Zaidong on Distribution Ceremonyof Chinese Agricultural Equipment and Tools

Your Excellency Federal Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends, Good afternoon! It is a great pleasure for me to attendthedistribution ceremony of agricultural equipment and tools aidedbyChinese Government and join you in witnessing another important
moment in China-Pakistan friendship. In this project, China has provided Pakistan with 278 sets ofagricultural machinery and equipment worth 30 million yuan (1.16billionrupee) for free, including tractors, seeders, combine harvesters, andphotovoltaic water pump systems and so on. This represents the largest
China aided agricultural equipment project to Pakistan in recent years. China and Pakistan are both traditionally big agricultural countries.
Pakistan boasts 30.5 million hectares of agricultural land, accountingforover 40% of its territory. Three-fifths of its population resides inrural
areas, two-fifths of employment comes from agriculture, one-fifthofexports are agricultural products, and one-fourth of GDP originates fromthe agricultural sector. Pakistan ranks fourth, fifth, eighth, andninthglobally in sugarcane, cotton, wheat, and rice production respectively, with livestock numbers reaching 225 million. It stands as the world’sfourth-largest leather exporter and fifth-largest milk producer. In2024, China’s GDP reached 134.9 trillion yuan (USD 18.94 trillion), withagriculture contributing 6.8%. The contribution rate of agricultural
sci-tech advances exceeds 63%, overall mechanization rate incropcultivation, growth and harvest surpasses 75%, and total grain output hasexceeded 1.4 trillion jin (700 million tons) for the first time. These figuresdemonstrate tremendous potential for China-Pakistan agricultural
cooperation. Our national leaders have attached great importance to agricultural
collaboration, identifying it as a priority in bilateral cooperation. Currently, China-Pakistan agricultural cooperation continues to deepeninfour main aspects: First, institutional mechanisms have been strengthened. The China-Pakistan Agricultural Joint Working Group mechanismhasbeen established. Last Tuesday, the fourth JWG meeting was successfullyconvened in Beijing, following which multiple agricultural cooperation
agreements will be signed. Second, agricultural trade tie has growncloser. Over the past three years, nine new protocols for Pakistani agricultural
exports to China have been signed, maintaining bilateral agricultural tradeabove $1 billion annually, with Pakistan consistently maintaininga tradesurplus. In Q1 2024, China-Pakistan agricultural trade reached$228million, up 21.4% year-on-year. Pakistan’s first exports of heat-treatedbeef, fresh cherries, and frozen buffalo embryos to China was witnessedlast year. And in February this year, the first batch of high-value-addedbuffalo dairy products arrived in China. Third, personnel exchanges haveintensified. The Chinese government supports numerous Pakistani
agricultural professionals to study in China every year. Another 300young agricultural talents departed for training programs in Yangling, Shaanxi Province, China just last week. Fourth, agricultural-industrial
cooperation has been consolidated. Agricultural projects under theChina-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) now comprehensivelycovergrain, cotton, oil crops, meat, and dairy production. The implementationof these projects will strengthen Pakistan’s agricultural foundationinall
aspects. In June, we will host the High-Quality Development ForumonChina-Pakistan Agricultural Cooperation to pool collective efforts forelevating agricultural-industrial collaboration. Looking back, China-Pakistan agricultural cooperation has yieldedsubstantial achievements. I would like to express appreciation toYour
Excellency Federal Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain for his active effortsin advancing our cooperation. I am confident that under YourExcellency’s strong leadership, agricultural collaboration betweenChinaand Pakistan will maintain high-level momentum and achieve greaterdevelopment. In today’s world of intertwined transformations andchallenges, our agricultural cooperation plays an irreplaceable roleinensuring food security, consolidating development foundations, andjointly addressing external challenges. As we advance along the pathofbecoming strong nations in agriculture, I would like to cite a Chineseproverb: “To do a good job, one must first sharpen his/her tools.”Advanced agricultural equipment forms the foundation for agricultural
modernization. We hope Pakistan will make optimal use of theagricultural equipment and tools aided by China to maximize benefits forits people. Friends, The United States’ arbitrary imposition of additional tariffs onover180 countries has severely infringed upon the legitimate rights andinterests of all countries, severely undermined the multilateral tradingsystem, and severely disrupted the global economic order. The IMFhasalready revised down its forecast for 2025 global economic growthfrom3.3% to 2.8%. In the face of the U.S.’s new round of extreme pressuretactics, China remains unwavering in focusing on our own affairs and
expanding high-standard opening-up. We will counter the uncertaintyofdrastic changes in the external environment by the certainty of China’shigh-quality development. China’s development continues to advancewith solid steps. In the first quarter of this year, China’s gross domesticproduct (GDP) grew by 5.4% year-on-year, surpassing last year’s overall
growth of 5% and the 5.3% growth of Q1 2024. Domestic demand’scontribution to the economic growth increased by 6.3 percentage pointscompared to the fourth quarter of last year, while the value addedofhigh-tech manufacturing rose by 9.7% year-on-year. China and the worldcontinue to move toward each other. Despite headwinds, China’s foreigntrade in Q1 2025 grew by 6.9% year-on-year, total goods imports andexports increased by 1.3%, over 170 countries and regions sawpositivegrowth in imports from China, and the recent Canton Fair attracted148,000 overseas buyers from more than 200 countries and regions, a20% increase year-on-year. Faced with U.S. bullying and hegemonic actions, China has stoodasa shelter against the the storm for developing nations. China’s resolutecountermeasures not only defended our own legitimate rights but alsoupheld international rules, order, equity, and justice, gaining wide support
from the international community. Last Thursday, China initiatedaninformal UN Security Council meeting themed “The Impact ofUnilateralism and Bullying Practices on International Relations,”
attended by over 80 countries including Pakistan. Participants stronglyopposed unilateral tariff hikes and called for restoring a peaceful, predictable multilateral trade order. A just cause enjoys abundant support while an unjust one finds little. Those who persist in evil deeds will bring ruin upon themselves. TheU.S.’s extreme coercion will fail, and its attempts to exploit the worldwill not succeed. The abuse of tariffs have plunged America intosevereinternal strife, backfiring on its own economy. Data frominternational
think tank showed that U.S. GDP is projected to shrink by 2.2%inthefirst quarter, with a 65% chance of recession and inflation reachingitshighest level since 1981. Twelve U.S. states have sued the federal
government, emphasizing that the tariff hike is illegal. The NewYorkTimes reports that while the U.S. claims it will reach tariff agreementswith multiple countries within weeks, it has not made a single deal till
now. Even in talks with its ally Japan, the U.S. stated it would not grant
exceptions or special treatment. Facts prove that “feeding the tiger withyour own flesh” only fuels greed and bullying, while “huddling togetherfor warmth” is the way to survive a harsh winter and bring a brighterfuture. As President Xi Jinping pointed out, “a single small boat maynot
survive a ferocious storm; only by working together can we sail steadyand far.” China and Pakistan are both key members of the Global Southand staunch defenders of international equity and justice. We must
strengthen coordination and collaboration, follow the tide of peaceful
development, resist the countercurrent of protectionism, and jointheoverwhelming majority of the international community in firmlysafeguarding the World Trade Organization-centered multilateral tradingsystem. Through openness, inclusiveness, unity and cooperation, wewill
counter “decoupling”, supply chain disruptions and tariff bullying, soasto jointly promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and an inclusiveand universally beneficial economic globalization.