China’s shift toward high-quality development under its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) will create new opportunities for Pakistan to expand cooperation with it, particularly through the upgraded development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, says Pakistan’s ambassador.
Speaking to China Daily as the two countries mark 75 years of diplomatic relations, Khalil Hashmi said the 15th Five-Year Plan represents a new model of economic growth.
China’s focus on science and technology, intelligent manufacturing, advanced manufacturing and new quality productive forces is especially relevant for developing countries looking for affordable technologies, industrial upgrading and new growth drivers, Hashmi said.
“China has a lot to offer in management practices, technology and capital,” he said.
That experience is particularly relevant as the two countries move into the next phase of the CPEC, a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative and a central platform for practical bilateral cooperation.
Hashmi said the first phase of CPEC was “very substantial and important” because it helped Pakistan strengthen transport and energy infrastructure — two critical foundations for broader and faster economic growth.
With the foundations in place, the two sides are moving into CPEC 2.0, with a stronger focus on agriculture, minerals, information technology and industrial cooperation, he said.
These priorities match Pakistan’s development needs and strengths, he said, citing its agriculture, mineral resources and young population. China and Pakistan have identified 21 priority sectors, with more than 300 memorandums of understanding and over three dozen joint venture agreements signed between their companies, he added.
The expanding practical cooperation is underpinned by the broader strength of Pakistan-China relations, which Hashmi said rest on “mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual support”.
Unlike many interstate relationships that fluctuate, Pakistan-China ties have continued to move forward steadily over the years, he said.
Frequent high-level exchanges and strategic guidance from the two countries’ leaders have been indispensable to that momentum, he said. “It works like oxygen. It works like blood in the body.”
On the diplomatic front, he said Pakistan and China have more than two dozen institutional dialogue mechanisms, providing a strong framework for translating political trust into practical cooperation.
Hashmi, who recently received China’s newly established Outstanding Diplomat Medal, said the honor was not his alone but belonged to all those who have worked to strengthen bilateral ties. “One person’s contribution is never sufficient. It is always a team,” he said.
The ambassador said he hopes to place greater emphasis on people-centered cooperation, particularly exchanges among young people, entrepreneurs, business leaders and social media influencers.
Having served at the Pakistani embassy in Beijing from 2008 to 2010 before returning as ambassador in November 2023, Hashmi said his travels across China have given him a close view of the country’s transformation.
Those journeys, from western regions to coastal and inland provinces, have deepened his understanding of China’s diversity, development path and governance experience, he added.
“China is our most trusted, most reliable and most friendly country in the world,” he said, encouraging more youths and people from different walks of life in Pakistan to visit China.
“Seeing is believing,” he said.
zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn