BEIJING, China: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that Pakistan strongly favours cooperation and synergetic partnerships across regions for socioeconomic development and human prosperity.
In the first session of the Leader’s Roundtable Table Conference in the Belt and Road Forum held in Beijing on Monday, the prime minister in his statement on ‘Policy Synergy for Closer Partnership’ urged the need for exploring ways to enhance collaboration under the banner of the “One Belt-One Road” initiative, deepen cooperation, and review the progress we have made so far.
The prime minister that this is important because the very nature of One Belt and One Road (OBOR) requires synergetic endeavour, constant appraisal, and closely coordinated policies.
Nawaz Sharif said that the world economy is showing the first signs of improvement. He said that there are also credible forecasts that global trade and commerce would strengthen. However, we do not know how long this recovery would last because of its many vulnerabilities, he added.
Sharif said that two main trends appear to be competing in the global economy; on the one hand, there is advocacy for protectionism while on the other, there are increasing calls for greater economic collaboration for sustainable development.
The prime minister said that it is imperative that we appreciate the “Belt and Road” initiative in its proper perspective of interconnected development. He said that OBOR is now turning into the centre of gravity for half of the world’s economies – in Asia, in Africa and in Europe.
The prime minister said that the initiative is firmly supported by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Silk Road Fund. He said that UN Bodies and regional organisations have embraced it as multiple projects under the “One Belt-One Road” have complementarity.
Moreover, he said that as part of the same initiative under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) banner, we have made phenomenal progress in a short span of time through active participation in the areas of infrastructure, energy, industrial zones and telecommunications.
However, the prime minister added that four areas require more focus: First, overall progress should be reviewed as we all stand to benefit from early harvest projects; Second, we need more synergy in our development strategies both at the regional and international levels; Third, this initiative must continue to deliver “win-win” outcomes. All should win. All should succeed; and Four, we should build on the solid foundations of OBOR to make it a living, growing and organic partnership.
Nawaz Sharif said that we applaud China for taking this historic initiative which now has the complete ownership of all participating countries.
The prime minister said that we are all concerned about the existing and emerging threats of terrorism, refugee movements, mass migration, food security and water shortages. However, he added that “I am confident that with OBOR in place, we would be able to turn the tide of these threats.”
Sharif said that we, therefore, need policy synergy at yet another level. He said that several national planning bodies, the United Nations, international conferences and regional organisations have developed plans and initiatives on global issues and established partnerships with OBOR.
The new OBOR family and the wider international community should coordinate and synergise their initiatives to create and enhance the space for cooperation,” he said adding that at the same time, dialogue and communication with nations outside the belt-road routes is necessary to dispel misapprehensions.
The prime minister said that most importantly, the Bretton Woods institutions and the AIIB should deepen their cooperation in knowledge-sharing, development financing and country-level coordination through cohesive institutional interaction.
Nawaz Sharif said that in Pakistan, we are focusing on synergy at three levels; one, we are harmonising national development plans with the CPEC; Two, we are closely coordinating with China for planning and implementation of CPEC; and Third, we are liaising with International Financial Institutions for policy alignment.
“We realise that this strategy requires constant refinement,” he said.
The prime minister further said that the Belt and Road Forum should have at least three outcomes in order to achieve the goal of policy synergy; First, we should expand consensus for OBOR; Second, we must enhance cooperation in development and implementation; and Third, we need to prepare a blueprint and roadmap for long-term cooperation.
“Seeing the momentum of discussions in the last two days, I am confident that we are well on course for initiating an historic partnership of peoples across the geographical, national and regional frontiers,” the prime minister concluded.
