by Mariam Raheem

 

ISLAMABAD, Apr. 4 (Gwadar Pro) - A webinar titled China-Iran new cooperation framework: regional security and economic prospects was held by Devcom Pakistan on Saturday.

 

The experts at the international webinar termed that BRI offers a ray of hope where China and Iran are strong partners and Iran can learn from China’s poverty alleviation model. Pakistan may welcome the fact that China now considers cooperation with Iran as a substantive part of BRI.

 

As per Lt General (R) Asad Durrani, former Director General of ISI and strategic analyst, the accord of Iran-China 25-year cooperation is a masterly move on the global chessboard. Pakistan indeed is a big gainer as its initiative on regional consensus building is going on.

 

Ms. Dan Ge, Senior Research Fellow, Chengdu Institute of World Affairs and Research Fellow of Chahar Institute, highlighted that the 25-year Comprehensive Cooperation Agreement between China and Iran is an inevitable outcome of the friendly development of bilateral relations and an attempt by China to build a community with a shared future for mankind and open up wider to the outside world in the era of globalization.

 

Mr. Hassan Daud Butt, CEO of KP-BoIT, stated that it's a time where geo politics, economic integration and technology are shaping the future. It is also a time where both Iran and Pakistan are at the cross roads of their history where their population is growing and youths have expectations for their future. "If Iran and Pakistan can benefit from rail and maritime connectivity through Chahbahar and Gwadar port, both countries can leverage from their strategic location and stamp their importance in the BRI framework and global economy."

 

On CPEC, Mr. Hassan further mentioned that 22 projects worth $28 billion are underway and Pakistan has set up JWGs on science and technology and agriculture sector development. By connecting supply chains of SEZs in China, Pakistan and Iran,  the 3 countries can benefit immensely. On India, he said that though India is not part of BRI, it is a member of Asian Infrastructure Bank.

 

Dr. Najam Abbas, Senior Fellow, East-West Institute, London, explained the prospects of prosperity and progress for Pakistan and Iran as BRI partners. In the future, Pakistan has much to gain if Iran could well serve as a crossroad of corridors providing logistical linkages for energy transportation, commerce, trade as well as tourism for its neighbors too.

 

"The 2020-2045 cooperation plan will reflect Beijing's high level of involvement on a huge scale with increased investment and increased participation in promoting development of ports, trade-free zones and communication infrastructure." he added.

 

Dr. Ehsan Sadeghi from Tehran International Studies and Research Institute (TISRI) maintained that the Iran-China Agreement signed last Saturday is a turning point and a new chapter in bilateral relations since the two countries established relations 50 years ago. It's a road map for designing a better future for relations and communications between Iran and China. In the face of international and regional development, especially the importance of multilateralism, the key interests of Iran and China overlap.

 

On the economic and security implications of the agreement, Dr. Ehsan Sadeghi stressed that the two countries have many advantages and their economies are complementary. "China is Iran's largest energy trading partner and regular customer, and Iran needs foreign investment to develop its infrastructure expansion within the framework of a clear road map. Iran and China have common ground on issues related to regional security and stability and are trying to promote multilateralism at the regional and interregional levels; In this case, recent agreement could be a positive political and security basis for this icon."