PROVINCE REPORT
ISLAMABAD: Former Project Director of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Hassan Daud Butt, has said that genuine and sustainable development cannot be achieved in a world where the economic gap between rich and poor countries continues to widen.
He called on developed countries to share their resources, advanced technologies, knowledge and expertise with developing nations to promote inclusive, balanced and sustainable development at the global level.
In an interview, he said the world was currently facing multiple challenges, including political discord, economic divisions, climate change, pandemics, regional conflicts and trade-related challenges. In such circumstances, dialogue and cooperation among major global powers were of vital importance for the entire world.
Hassan Daud Butt described high-level engagement between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping as significant, saying increased dialogue and mutual engagement between the United States and China could contribute positively to addressing global challenges.
He said climate change, artificial intelligence, the global geopolitical situation, the crisis in the Middle East, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and international trade were among the issues where cooperation and mutual understanding between the two countries would serve not only the interests of the United States and China but also those of the wider international community.
He said President Xi Jinping’s view that cooperation between the United States and China benefits the world was noteworthy. He stressed that, alongside meetings at the level of heads of state, working groups, institutions and people-to-people contacts between the two countries should also be strengthened.
The former CPEC project director said no single country possessed the solution to all major challenges facing the world. Therefore, there was a need to strengthen the multilateral system and make international institutions, including the United Nations, more effective.
He said the United States, China and other countries would have to move forward through cooperation to address global challenges.
Hassan Daud Butt noted that developing countries, including Pakistan and Nepal, were among those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and natural disasters, while many developing nations lacked the financial resources, advanced technologies and institutional capacity required to effectively respond to these challenges.
He said the concept of global development could not be complete unless developing countries were provided equal opportunities for economic growth, access to modern technology and investment, and avenues for human resource development.
He stressed that developed countries needed to play a more effective role in ensuring a fairer distribution of global resources and opportunities.
He made it clear that the solution to the challenges faced by developing countries was not merely the provision of aid, but long-term partnerships based on investment, technology transfer, research and capacity building.
Hassan Daud Butt said that if developed countries expanded the exchange of advanced technology, research, capital and expertise with developing economies, it would create new employment and economic opportunities and contribute to a more stable and balanced global economy.
He also underscored the importance of regional connectivity and economic cooperation, saying greater collaboration among developing countries and stronger partnerships with the developed world were essential for global prosperity.
He said China was an important neighbour and partner for Pakistan, while the United States was also an important trading partner. Therefore, it was in the interest of Pakistan and other developing countries that cooperation, trade, investment and people-to-people ties between major global powers should be promoted.
The former CPEC project director expressed hope that high-level engagement between the United States and China would help move global differences towards greater understanding and cooperation, adding that further engagements of this nature could contribute to making the world more peaceful, prosperous and stable in the future.
