Roundup: Experts say Pakistan-China collaboration on education, cultural exchange on upward trajectory

ISLAMABAD, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The collaboration of Pakistan and China on education and cultural cooperation and exchanges witnessed an upward trajectory with each passing day, Pakistani and Chinese experts said Thursday at a webinar.

China has played a key role in creating regional awareness to underscore the significance of cultural and educational exchanges through its ventures like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), resulting in substantial educational, political, economic, and trade cooperation among various countries and regions, said the scholars at the webinar on educational and cultural exchanges under the BRI.

The webinar, jointly organized by the Pakistani think tank the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies (IPDS) and the Pakistan Research Center of the Inner Mongolia Honder College of Art and Sciences in China, aimed to discuss the long-standing, strong relationship between Pakistan and China in terms of their cooperation in culture and education.

Speaking on the occasion, Liaquat Ali Shah, head of the Policy Division of the Center of Excellence for CPEC at the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, said that people-to-people exchanges remained one of the main pillars of China's foreign policy to strengthen the social foundation for healthy international relations.

"For that reason, the cultural and people-to-people exchanges have been made an important part of the CPEC," Shah said, adding that the second phase of the CPEC is more people-centric, which would help make the CPEC development plan more sustainable and inclusive.

"The fields such as science and technology, information technology, agriculture, and socio-economic development are being focused on, where the interactions between the people of China and Pakistan are critical," the official added.

Farhat Asif, president of the IPDS, said that both countries enjoy a strong all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and friendship with exemplary bilateral cooperation and exchanges.

"The CPEC is the epitome of such cooperation, thriving in the length and breadth of Pakistan, as well as bringing people of Pakistan and China closer and yielding socio-economic benefits," she said.

Emphasizing the strong collaboration in education and cultural exchanges between both countries, Asif said that thousands of Pakistani students are currently studying in various universities in China.

To forge close cultural and educational ties between Pakistan and China, such collaboration should continue, she added.

During the webinar, Tang Jun, director of the Pakistan Research Center at the Inner Mongolia Honder College of Arts and Sciences, highlighted the strong partnership between China and Pakistan.

"Academic engagement is growing with each passing day. Both sides are collaborating to enhance the research and development culture and the human resource, ready to make it an effective part of the CPEC's overall progress," he said.