by Meng Lingjuan

On this Monday Pakistani President Dr. Arif Alvi paid a visit to China, and the coming Monday Pakistan Day falls.

Due to the intensive major events during this period, the interview of Naghmana Hashmi, Pakistani Ambassador to China, was rescheduled. Starting with President Dr. Alvi's visit to China, in nearly 45 minutes’ interview, for the first time ever, Hashmi has summed up the effect of the new China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, talked about the establishment of meat cold chain and listed ten major areas, in which 'New Pakistan' expects to strengthen cooperation with China.

Pakistani Ambassador to China Naghmana Hashmi is interviewed by China Economic Net (CEN) on March 19. (China Economic Net/Zhang Peng)

Just as President Xi’s said, gold becomes solid and shining when it goes through fire 

“As President Xi Jinping himself said that gold becomes solid and shining when it goes through fire,” Hashmi said. “The friendship between China and Pakistan has grown stronger and stronger because of the difficult times that it has gone through previously. Also this time it has withstood the test of time like a true good neighbour, true all-weather strategic cooperative partner and true iron brother. Our president’s visit shows that Pakistani people will stand by Chinese people in both good times and difficult times. We are very happy to see that China has a lot of good leadership vision, strategy, faith. They have been able to overcome this very difficult epidemic.”

The decision not to evacuate Pakistanis from China once put the Pakistani government as well as Hashmi under pressure. Pakistani embassy staff told the reporter that the Ambassador would like to go to Hubei in person, but considering the local quarantine measures and the impact of the quarantine period after returning to Beijing on the embassy's work, she had to give up.

Pakistani Ambassador to China Naghmana Hashmi is interviewed by China Economic Net (CEN) on March 19. (China Economic Net/Zhang Peng)

Asked about the pressure, Hashmi talked more about her understanding of the public opinion. "We have 28,000 students in China, of which about 1,200 are in Hubei. Criticism from the parents, difficulties from the students who are young. They did get nervous. They couldn't understand why the government wasn't evacuating them," she said. "We genuinely felt that our children were safer here than if we were to evacuate them from there because we actually did not have the capacity of controlling the coronavirus if it had spread to Pakistan at that time. Therefore, a very conscious decision was made." Hashmi wore a smile throughout the interview, except now her expression was solemn and determined.

“But as the time went by, when President Xi said that the Pakistani children in Hubei and in China were like the Chinese children and we would protect them as our own children, I think that really went a very long way in easing out the concerns and tensions of the parents and the students. Now they realize that it was the best possible decision. They're very grateful to the government of China for taking such good care of them. So my compliments and my gratitude go out on behalf of Pakistan and on behalf of the entire embassy here for supporting them, for taking care of them. If you ask me, I think the safest place to be in the world these days is China. We made a very conscious decision not to evacuate our students from here,” Hashmi stressed again.

Jointly combating locust plague is a beautiful gift

During President Dr. Alvi’s visit in China, two memorandums of understanding, three exchanged certificates and one exchange of notes were signed by Ambassador Hashmi on behalf of Pakistan. When talked about the MOU on Establishing Joint Working Group on Science and Technology and Agriculture between China and Pakistan, Hashmi pointed that Pakistan has a gradient economy and 70% of Pakistani economy is dependent on agriculture. Therefore, agricultural science and technology play a decisive role in Pakistan's social and economic development. To bring these two sectors under the effort of CPEC is extremely important both for poverty alleviation and for development.

Hashmi introduced that the three exchanged certificates and one exchange of notes related to epidemic prevention supplies and equipment as well as the locust prevention and control which echoes an MOU signed between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China and the Ministry of National Food Security and Research of Pakistan on strengthening cooperation on plant and disease control. “China, despite it’s in a very difficult situation, despite being in the war against novel coronavirus epidemic, came out and supported Pakistan to the best of its ability to help us fight this unprecedented attack of locust. It’s a beautiful gift,” she added.

Hashmi told the reporter that Pakistan’s brown locust originates from Africa. The locust plague is mostly in the east of Pakistan and central Punjab, Pakistan’s grain-producing area. It primarily affects staple crops and cash crops like wheat, rice, maize, etc. As grassland was destroyed, problems of cattle starvation may be emerged. “We are looking at setting up a research center for pest control. Because where we grow most of our staple crops are hot and humid in summer and that is a kind of condition that actually encourages a lot of different kinds of pests. Besides locust, research on mango and cotton pest outbreak would also be a very good outcome of practical cooperation,” Hashmi said.

To hold kinnow festival and establish Sino-Pak cold chain for meat

Pakistani kinnow has attracted Chinese netizens’ attention recently. CEN report 180,000 kinnows enter China for first time in 3 years, selected each by each by Pakistanis got 980,000 page views on its Toutiao public account. Kinnow sellers on e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and JD recorded a 6262% additional order increase on the same day.

Pakistani kinnows enter China for the first time in three years and are sold on Chinese e-commerce platforms. (File Photo)

“It's very interesting that you mention kinnow. This is a variety that's very unique in Pakistan. A lot of your imported citrus fruits generally start to come to the market in December. Our kinnows only start to export in the middle and end of January. They are big, sweet, easy to peel, and there's not too much fiber in them either. I'm sure our Chinese friends will love our kinnows as much as they love our mangoes last year. Large gatherings are not convenient now. Next year definitely we will do a very, very nice kinnow festival,” Hashmi said.

On September 17, 2019, Pakistani Embassy in China and CEN co-hosted the Pakistan Mango Festival. “This year’s mango festival will try to include other products also are now available because of the new FTA,” she added. “We are now working out the vital sanitary requirements for the export of meat to China and thinking of establishing cold chain between Pakistan and China. So we are very hopeful that very soon we will be able to get the quarantine certification for the export of meat to China. That would help bilateral trade. That is a very very good market. Similarly, fishery market has picked up again with China. That is another area where we really need to concentrate.”

Mention ‘New Pakistan’ for the first time 17% increase in export to China

In mid-March, the Chinese Consulate General in Karachi quoted data from the State Bank of Pakistan that in the first seven months of this fiscal year, from June 2019 to January 2020, Pakistan's frozen fish exports to China increased by 83.70%, which is an item that contributes a lot to exports. However, Pakistan's overall exports to China increased by only 1.80%, while the imports decreased by 2.48%.

About the impact of epidemic on the two countries’ economy and trade, Hashmi said there's no need to excessively worry about that. “The first and second quarters will be affected, but we should be able to make it up in the third and the fourth quarters. The FTA that has become operational from January this year has already resulted in 17% increase in our exports to China.”

When it comes to CEN’s proposal on hundreds of Pakistani and Chinese enterprises making joint efforts to achieve small goals of development after the epidemic, Hashmi expressed her appreciation, “It’s a very good message. There is no other way of achieving development except when everybody plays his part. The infrastructure projects of the first phase of CPEC have now been completed. The energy shortage is a thing of the past. So I would urge all our entrepreneurs and business people in Pakistan, and I would also urge all our Chinese business strength and companies and enterprises to look at Pakistan. Now is the time to look at Pakistan. This is the time to actually put your heart and soul and effort towards increasing bilateral investments, bilateral trade and setting up joint ventures,” she said.

Hashmi listed more than 10 areas that Pakistan expects investment and welcomes cooperation without a break, including renewable energy, electric vehicles, aviation and transportation, telecommunications, distance education, medical facilities, IT, mechanized agriculture and drip irrigation, pest control and dairy industry.

"It is a huge era of opportunities between Pakistan and China. You must take advantage of the opportunities and possibilities which are now opening up in ‘New Pakistan’," Hashmi said.