by Shafqat Ali

ISLAMABAD, Sept 20 (Gwadar Pro) - Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Romina Khurshid Alam on Thursday afternoon said the Chinese people-centric and development-focused model was a powerful model leading to poverty alleviation, technological advancement and development led by the people.

She was addressing the Dialogue for People-centric Governance System: A Case Study of China seminar hosted by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) in collaboration with the Asian Institute of Eco-Civilization, Research and Development (AIERD) here at the IRS.

PM’s aide Romina Khurshid said that Pakistan-China friendship demanded both the nations to learn from mutual experiences for common good and human development integrated with environmental and nature conservation for a sustainable future.

“China’s example of integrating strong governance with public participation is a learning experience. It’s a powerful model leading to poverty alleviation, technological advancement and development,” she added.

She underlined that China had upheld women rights and empowerment in every facet of its life from business to industry and social life to politics, but it never adopted condescending a attitude towards other nations in that regard.

The PM’s aide mentioned that in China every sector has women participation and were enjoying many successful positions. She lauded the Chinese government’s paradigm of policy ensuring health, agriculture and other critical sectors widely promoted and flourishing with positive future outlooks.

Former Pakistani envoy to China, Ambassador Moin ul Haque said the true essence of people-centric and development-focused model is the public good as it was about serving not ruling the masses.

“No country has developed at such big scale in short span of time like China. Chinese invested in technology for health, medicine, pollution control, nature preservation with the vision to serve people of China. It brought 800 million people out of poverty and China’s poverty alleviation study is a case study to learn for improving social security and poverty alleviation strategies for Pakistan,” he said.

However, uneven implementation of laws, limited awareness, digital divide, and weak local governments were the major gaps in ensuring people-centric and development-focused model, whereas digital infrastructure development and public participation in policy making was important to achieve the goal.

Deputy Executive Director, SDPI, Dr Sajid Amin Javed said the rise of China was based on economy over politics approach. “Pakistan needs to learn from China that investing in economy and development will bring rise of the nation at political arenas as a stronger nation,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Gwadar Pro.