FARUKH SHEHZAD

ISLAMABAD, DEC 14 /DN/– Three-member delegation led by Ambassador of China to Pakistan Nong Rong called on Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam, on Monday.

Matters of bilateral interest including environmental sustainability, climate resilience and renewable energy came under discussion.

Meanwhile, China’s ambassador said that his government is also committed to extend support to the green vision of Prime Imran Khan and his remarkable green initiatives including the Green Stimulus, a post-COVID-19 green recovery initiatives for restoring people’s lives and livelihood affected by the pandemic.

Moreover they discussed in detail various matters for enhanced bilateral cooperation and opportunities pertaining to the fields of post-Covid-19 green economic recovery in Pakistan by enhancing investment in nature-based solutions and green job creations, environmental sustainability, climate resilience, forest management, air pollution, water conservation and disaster risk reduction,”.

Chinese Ambassador told PM’s aide Malik Amin Aslam that it’s heartening that Prime Minister’s Imran Khan’s vision for green Pakistan is perfectly aligned to the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vision for green China. “However, we as a Chinese government see a huge scope and opportunities of working jointly to promote the common green vision for enhanced environmental sustainability and climate resilience against various adverse impacts of climate change on water, energy, food, health and education sectors,” the Chinese ambassador said.

Both sides also agreed to make China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) a model green belt and road initiative by calling it China-Pakistan Green Economic Corridor, so that environment is taken care of while implementing the game-changer project of regional connectively and economic development. Malik Amin Aslam informed the ambassador that an ambitious Protected Areas Initiative, approved by the Prime Minister, has been already launched under the umbrella programme ‘Clean Green Pakistan’, which is the present government’s historic milestone for nature conservation and promotion of nature-based solutions and creation of green jobs in the country.

It aims to expand the country’s protected areas cover from 13 percent to more than15 percent by 2023 and create 5,000 green jobs across the country that are viewed as crucial in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, while at the same time safeguarding the country’s natural resources. While sharing more details of the green and clean Pakistan initiatives launched under the Prime Minister’s Imran Khan’s vision for Clean and Green Pakistan, Malik Amin Aslam told the Chinese envoy Nong Rong that the climate change ministry has kicked-off several flagship programmes and projects including the world’s largest afforestation programme of 10 Billion Tree Tsunami Programme, Clean Green Pakistan Programme, Protected Areas Initiative, Plastic-Free Pakistan Initiative, Recharge Pakistan Initiative as a part of the country’s efforts to achieve environmental sustainability and climate resilience through conservation and protection of environment, forests and wildlife, wherein community and youth engagements are being assigned the top priority.

The Chinese envoy appreciated the present government’s green and clean initiatives, ambitious 10 Billion Tsunami Programme, protection and conservation programmes of environment, wildlife and Pakistan recharge programme for enhancing country’s resilience against deleterious fallouts of climate change on water, energy, agriculture, food security, energy, health, education and lives and livelihoods of the vulnerable rural and mountain communities. China’s ambassador Nong Rong remarked that Pakistan’s green and clean initiatives are truly inspiring initiated despite tight economic conditions “Its really incredible and inspiring that despite limited financial resources, Pakistan has launched world-acclaimed green stimulus initiative, which has led to creation of thousands of green jobs for those rendered unemployed due to COVID-19 pandemic,” the the ambassador stressed during the meeting with PM’s aide Malik Amin.

He told the PM’s aide that the Chinese government, however, would deploy its financial, technological and knowledge resources to support Pakistan through its experiences in overall COVID-19 crisis management and post COVID-19 green recovery through enhanced investment in green sectors including forestry environmental protection and climate change resilience through mitigation and adaptation initiatives in the country’s climate-vulnerable socio-economic sectors.

Malik Amin Aslam also told the the Chinese ambassador that he appreciates his government’s interest and its offer to extend support to the green and clean initiatives launched under the Prime Minister Imran Khan vision for clean and green Pakistan under the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami Programme for overall environmental conservation and protection and Pakistan’s climate resilience building.

“It’s, of course, our pleasure to hear that the Chinese government is looking towards opportunities for jointly working and sharing its experiences regarding promotion of clean and renewable energy, environmental conservation, air pollution mitigation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, efficient water management and disaster risk reduction,” Malik Amin emphasised. He remarked that the world today has been forced to accept that it is the destruction of wildlife habitats as well as the degradation of the world’s ecosystems that are the root cause of the pandemic — COVID-19.

“However, this ongoing catastrophe is painfully reminding us that collectively we no longer have a choice but to take care of the natural limits and boundaries of our coexistence with other species. Nature, while reclaiming lost space, seems to be rebalancing our relationship with it,” he highlighted.=DN

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Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Monday that the women’s national cricket team will tour South Africa for three ODIs and three T20Is, which will be played in Durban and Pietermaritzburg between Jan 20 and Feb 3.

The series, according to the PCB, has been organised to help both Pakistan and South Africa prepare for the upcoming assignments, in particular Pakistan, who will feature in the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in July 2021 for the event proper to be held in New Zealand in early 2022.

South Africa, along with world champions England, Australia, India and hosts New Zealand, have already qualified for the World Cup after securing top positions in the ICC Women’s Championship 2017-20.

The series will start and finish in Durban with the first ODI on Jan 20 and the third T20I on Feb 3. Both matches will be played under lights. Durban will also stage the second ODI on Jan 23 before action will move to Pietermaritzburg where the third ODI and opening two T20Is will be played on Jan 26, 29 and 31, respectively.

Selection criteria

To prepare and select the best available side and in continuation of the Women’s High Performance Camp and the National Triangular T20 Women’s Cricket Championship, the women’s national selection committee has invited 27 cricketers for a training and preparation camp, which will be held at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi from Dec 20.

From the start of the training camp until the side’s departure for Durban on Jan 11, the women cricketers will remain and train in a bio-secure environment, besides undergoing routine testing in line with the PCB Covid-19 Protocols.

Prior to joining the camp, each cricketer will require a negative test and another negative test after reporting for the camp before being allowed to integrate with other members of the group.

The tour to South Africa will also be the first official assignment of head coach David Hemp and bowling coach Arshad Khan. While Hemp joined forces in October, Arshad was appointed in November. Mohammad Kamran Hussain will be the assistant coach at the training camp.

This will be Pakistan women’s side’s second tour to South Africa within 18 months. In May 2019, Pakistan and South Africa featured in one of the most thrilling, keenly contested and exciting women’s series to date.

The three ICC Women’s Championship ODIs ended in a 1-1 draw when the May 12 third ODI ended in a tie after Nashra Sandhu scored seven runs off the final two deliveries to help Pakistan reach 265 for nine in 50 overs. In the five-match T20I series, Pakistan took a 2-1 lead before South Africa bounced back to clinch the series 3-2.

Investing in sport

“It is critical for women’s cricket that we continue to invest in the game in these difficult times, otherwise all the efforts and hard work that have gone recently in building the profile, enhancing the standard and generating fan interest and following will be wasted,” said Pakistan women team’s chief selector Urooj Mumtaz.

“I am delighted that Cricket South Africa have agreed to host us for a full tour despite having already qualified for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022. This is yet another indicator and reflection of our relationship with the member boards who are willing to help and support each other in any possible way,” she added.

The 27 probables for the South Africa tour are (18-player squad expected to be announced on Dec 31, 2020 at the National Stadium press conference room early afternoon):

Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Ayesha Zafar, Bismah Maroof, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana Khan, Iram Javed, Javeria Khan, Javeria Rauf, Kainat Imtiaz, Kaynat Hafeez, Maham Tariq, Muneeba Ali, Nahida Khan, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sandhu, Natalia Pervaiz, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Saba Nazir, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz and Syeda Aroob Shah

Tour schedule:

Jan 11 – Departure for Durban

Jan 13-19 – Training, practice and intra-squad matches, Durban

Jan 20 – 1st ODI (d/n), Kingsmead Stadium, Durban

Jan 23 – 2nd ODI (d), Kingsmead Stadium, Durban

Jan 26 – 3rd ODI (d), Pietermaritzburg Oval, Pietermaritzburg

Jan 29 – 1st T20I (d), Pietermaritzburg Oval, Pietermaritzburg

Jan 31 – 2nd T20I (d), Pietermaritzburg Oval, Pietermaritzburg

Feb 3 – 3rd T20I (d/n), Kingsmead Stadium, Durban.

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 14 – Prime Minister lmran Khan has visited Naval Headquarters, Islamabad, on Monday. Upon arrival Prime Minister was welcomed by Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi and was presented Guard of Honour by a smartly turned out contingent. Prime Minister laid floral wreath at Shuhada monument and was introduced to the Principal Staff Officers at Naval Headquarters.

The Prime Minister greatly appreciated the professionalism and operational readiness of Pakistan Navy. Prime Minister reposed complete confidence on the preparedness of Pakistan Navy in safeguarding country’s sea frontiers. He also acknowledge Pakistan Navy’s contribution towards regional maritime security by contributing in international efforts and taking own initiatives. Prime Minister showed his satisfaction on steps taken to ensure security of Pakistan’s coast, Gwadar Port and maritime related projects of CPEC.

The Prime Minister further assured full support of the Government for capacity building of Navy to meet the evolving challenges in maritime domain. He further added that the Government fully realizes the importance of maritime sector and its immense economic potential which can be utilized for the prosperity of the country. In the same spirit, Government’s vision of declaring 2020 as ‘Year of Blue Economy’ was to set the strategic direction for spurring growth of maritime sector.

Earlier, Prime Minister and the Minister for Defence, Finance & Maritime Affairs, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on NSD & SPP and Secretaries Defence, Finance, Foreign and Maritime Affairs were given detailed briefing on maritime security challenges and Pakistan Navy’s perspective on development of maritime sector.

The Naval Chief thanked Prime Minister for his visit and reposing confidence in the Navy. He also assured that Pakistan Navy with the help of Allah SWT will continue to defend the country’s sea frontiers & maritime interests and shoulder the responsibilities with honour both during peace and war.

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Electors will gather in state capitols across the United States on Monday (today) to formally vote for Joe Biden as the next US president, effectively ending President Donald Trump’s frenzied but failing attempt to overturn his loss in the Nov 3 election.

The state-by-state votes, traditionally an afterthought, have taken on outsized significance this year in light of Trump’s unprecedented assault on the nation’s democratic process. Pushing false claims of widespread fraud, Trump has pressured state officials to throw the election results out and declare him the winner.

In the United States, a candidate becomes president not by winning a majority of the national popular vote but through an Electoral College system, which allots electoral votes to the 50 states and the District of Columbia largely based on their population.

Election results show Biden, the Democratic former vice president, won 306 of the 538 electoral votes available — exceeding the necessary 270. Trump, a Republican, earned 232.

In capitols such as Lansing, Michigan; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Atlanta, Georgia, electors — typically party loyalists — will gather to formally cast those votes.

While there are sometimes a handful of “rogue” electors who vote for someone other than the winner of their state’s popular vote, the vast majority rubber-stamp their state’s results, and officials do not expect anything different on Monday.

Trump has called on Republican state legislators to appoint their own electors, essentially ignoring the will of the voters. State lawmakers have largely dismissed the idea.

The votes cast on Monday will be sent to Congress to be officially counted on Jan 6, the final stage of America’s complex election process.

Trump said late last month he will leave the White House if the Electoral College votes for Biden, but has since pressed on with his unprecedented campaign to overturn his defeat, filing without success numerous lawsuits challenging state vote counts. On Friday, the USSupreme Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by Texas that sought to invalidate the results in four states that Biden won.

Once the Electoral College vote is complete, Trump’s sole remaining gambit would be to convince Congress not to certify the count on Jan 6. Federal law allows individual lawmakers to challenge states’ electoral votes, which prompts both the House of Representatives and the Senate to debate the objections before voting on whether to sustain them.

Mo Brooks, a conservative Republican congressman, has vowed to file challenges when Congress reviews the vote next month, though it is all but certain both chambers would reject his effort. Democrats control the House, while several moderate Republicans in the Senate have already publicly accepted Biden’s victory.

‘Landmines’

In 2016, Trump won the Electoral College despite losing the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton by nearly three million votes. The formal vote earned extra attention when some Democratic activists called for electors to “go rogue” against Trump. In the end, seven electors broke ranks, an unusually high number but still far too few to sway the outcome.

Even if Monday’s vote runs smoothly, Trump’s efforts — such as encouraging state legislatures to appoint their own sets of “dueling” electors — have exposed the potential flaws in the system, said Robert Alexander, a professor at Ohio Northern University who has written a book about the Electoral College.

“There are a lot of landmines in the Electoral College, and this election really revealed a lot of them,” he said.

While the electoral votes normally involve some pomp and circumstance, most events this year will be significantly scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In Michigan, for instance, the 16 electors are allowed to bring only a single guest; Arizona has shifted its ceremony from the capitol building to an unassuming government facility and pared down the list of invitees. At least one state, Nevada, intends to hold its electoral vote entirely virtually.

The process of choosing electors varies by state. In some, state parties pick electors at local or state conventions, while in others, the party leadership chooses the slate. In Pennsylvania, the presidential candidates themselves pick their electors, while in California, Democratic congressional nominees select them.

A few electors, such as Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia gubernatorial candidate, are well known political figures. But most are longtime state party devotees, such as Bonnie Lauria, a retired General Motors worker in West Branch, Michigan.

“I’ve held most offices, from the local level up to state central,” the 79-year-old said. “This is one I haven’t had the privilege of being part of. I’m glad it’s my turn.”

Another Michigan Democratic elector, Blake Mazurek, a 52-year-old history teacher, said he hopes the vote sends a message that the democratic system is still functioning despite Trump’s rhetoric.

“I hope there’s a sense of assurance to many in America that our country is not entirely broken,” he said.

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Vladimir Norov

December 11 is International Mountain Day established by the UN General Assembly in 1992 and adopted by Agenda 21 during the UN Conference on Environment and Development.

The main purpose of this holiday was to educate the general public about the need to effectively use and protect mountain ecosystems and biodiversity in order to solve global environmental problems in mountain areas and rural development besides to strengthen the achievements of mankind in this sphere.

International Mountain Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, where people care about mountainous areas. Each year is dedicated to a new theme. The theme for this year’s celebration is mountain biodiversity. On this day the UN General Assembly encourages the world community to organize conferences, seminars, round tables, and other events at all levels.

Mountains, including mountain ranges and mountain systems, occupy nearly one-fourth of the planet. It includes a huge part of the world’s freshwater reserves and endangered species of fauna and flora. Mountains are also a popular destination for hiking and mountain climbing.

Half of the world’s biodiversity areas are located in mountains and mountainous areas, where more than 15% of the world’s population lives. About half of the world’s population depends on the water, food, and energy resources that mountains contain.

Most of the people of the Earth inhabiting mountain valleys live below the poverty line, constantly suffering from natural disasters. In the absence of developed infrastructure, they are at risk of food security and employment opportunities, as well as has no access to adequate health care, education, and quality public services.

As a rule, the inhabitants of these areas, feeling their insecurity in the face of modern challenges, are forced to migrate to the cities.There is a decline of agriculture, degradation of arable land and loss of cultural diversity, knowledge, and dying national traditions and historical heritage.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization fully supports the celebration of International Mountain Day. With the continued degradation of life-sustaining natural resources of mountains: water, land, biological, mineral, recreational, and others, their protection and rational use are at the forefront of the national security system of the SCO countries.

Undoubtedly, mountain systems in the SCO area are an invaluable source of water, energy, and biological diversity. Our countries contain vast uplands, the main mountain systems of the Earth, where large glaciers are located.

In recent decades, there is an increasing trend of melting of mountain glaciers and their catastrophic reduction, which may lead to their disappearance in many areas of the world. The melting of glaciers has become particularly noticeable in the Tibetan Plateau. Glaciers in the Himalayas are losing up to 8 billion tons of ice annually, and the rate of melting is increasing at an alarming rate.

The glaciers of the Tien Shan mountain system, which stretches from east to west across China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, have lost about 27% of their mass and more than 18% of their area in the last half-century. Of the 8,200 glaciers in the Tien Shan, more than 2,000 have melted in the recent past. The international experts using the newest methods of climate forecasting have pointed the fact that half of the ice cap of Tien Shan will melt by 2050.

According to scientists, global warming will melt the ice caps of all mountains and glaciers in the next hundred years. Scientists note that the melting of many glaciers has accelerated in recent years. For example, the Jacobswan Glacier on Greenland Island has doubled its rate of melting after six years and is now shrinking at a rate of about 12 km per year.  A group of European scientists said that Everest could lose up to 96 percent of its glaciers by 2100. Such scientific research was published in the journal “The Cryosphere”. All this is due to the development of industrialization, the neglect of human nature, expressed by an increase in emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere, drying up of rivers and reservoirs, as well as deforestation, which is a natural shield against pollution.

Scientists and environmentalists are seriously concerned about these phenomena, since such destruction of the ice cover may contribute to other environmental problems throughout the region, including a significant reduction in freshwater supplies.

It is also worth mentioning that one of the most well-known and at the same time major environmental problems – the drying up of the Aral Sea, which is closely related to this phenomenon. Scientists note that the salt from the bottom of the Aral Sea is carried by wind currents towards mountain ranges and settles on glaciers, thereby accelerating melting of the glaciers. Restoration of the Aral Sea ecosystem is a very difficult task, requiring financial investment and considerable efforts on the part of the world community.

The disappearance of glaciers can completely change the climate of the region, which will have a negative impact on the animal and plant life, as well as on many aspects of the socio-economic life of the population of mountainous areas.

Member States attach great importance to the integrated solution of mountain development problems. In particular, at the plenary session of the UN General Assembly, which was held on December 19, 2019, a resolution “Sustainable Mountain Development” presented by Kyrgyzstan and Italy was adopted. The resolution was also co-sponsored by 80 UN Member States including the SCO countries. The resolution stresses the importance of preventing glacier melting, reducing biodiversity and environmental degradation to ensure and maintain an acceptable standard of living for the residents whose economic activities depend entirely on the natural resources of mountain ecosystems.

The resolution also mentions initiatives of UN Member States to promote sustainable development of mountain areas, such as the proclamation, on the initiative of Kyrgyzstan, of the International Mountain Day in 2003 and the International Year of Mountains in 2002, the establishment of the Group of Friends of Mountain Countries, created in August 2019 in New York.

Considering the need to intensify work on systematic monitoring of mountain glaciers in 2009 at the conference on climate change in Copenhagen, Tajikistan initiated the establishment of the International Fund for the Protection of Glaciers and invited developed countries and international organizations to provide financial and technical assistance to developing countries to monitor and protect glaciers. The importance of this initiative was also noted during the meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) of SCO Member States held on November 30, 2020.

It is important for our Organization to comprehensively study the interconnectedness of environmental problems, exchange information and experience between specialized institutions, take conservation and restoration measures, diversify mountain economies, preserve specific mountain ecosystems, conduct scientific environmental research in mountain and hilly areas, and identify vulnerable mountain areas. In this context Kazakhstan’s initiative to make a register of environmental problems in SCO is timely.

An undoubted priority for the preservation of mountain ecosystems and the improvement of the well-being of the local population of mountainous areas is the use of environmentally safe technologies.  The parties are considering Uzbekistan’s initiative, the SCO Green Belt Program, which is designed to unlock our countries’ potential for the use and priority implementation of modern resource-saving and environmentally friendly technologies, exchange experience in manufacturing, installation, operation, and maintenance of modern energy-saving equipment, use of environmentally friendly technologies, creating new jobs, and improving the quality of life of the citizens.

Currently, one of the main normative documents of the Organization is the Concept of Cooperation of SCO Member States in Environmental Protection, which contributes to maintaining the ecological balance, ensuring environmental safety, promoting “green” development, and financing environmental projects and programs.

It should be noted that in 2019, for the first time, the SCO launched a mechanism for the Meeting of Heads of Ministries and Agencies of Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States Responsible for Environmental Protection

During the meeting held in Moscow on September 27, 2019, the member states discussed a wide range of environmental issues and agreed on the possibility of establishing thematic Expert Groups of SCO Member States in the field of biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation, and mitigation, waste management. The parties stressed the need to raise the level of environmental education and awareness at all levels, and to carry out environmental research, including in mountainous areas.

The SCO is interested in interacting with the UN Environment Programme to jointly implement the environmental component of sustainable development. The organization will promote integrated management and protection of mountain ecosystems, taking into account the activities of relevant international and regional organizations.

Global climatic changes, widespread warming, are posing a direct threat to the ecosystem of mountains which urgently require the activation of efforts of the world community to adopt a set of socio-political, environmental, economic, and other measures to mitigate the consequences of this phenomenon.

To address these problems, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, together with the international community, will contribute to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Writer is the Secretary General of SCO.

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• This is the second time China has come to Pakistan’s rescue. Earlier this year, Islamabad repaid $1 billion to KSA in the first quarter of the current fiscal year

ISLAMABAD, DEC 14 - China has agreed to immediately provide $1 to $1.5 billion financing line to Pakistan, allowing Islamabad to repay $1 billion to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this week.

LAHORE, DEC 14 - Renowned religious scholar Maulana Tariq Jameel was admitted to a hospital on Sunday after testing positive for coronavirus.

Maulana Tariq Jameel announced on his Twitter account: “I was not feeling well from the last few days and on getting tested for Covid-19, it came positive and was admitted to the hospital on the advice of the doctors.” He requested his followers to pray for him.

Maulana Tariq Jameel is one of the most popular Deobandi scholars and preachers in the country.

He belongs to the Tableeghi Jamaat group.

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Queenstown: Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of New Zealand T20Is after suffering a fracture in his right thumb during Sunday morning’s practice session.

The 26-year-old suffered the injury during a throw-down session, following which he was taken to a local hospital where X-rays confirmed the fracture. Babar will be unable to attend nets for at least 12 days, meaning he will not be available for the T20I series.

The doctors will continue to monitor Babar’s injury during this period before confirming his participation in the first Test, which starts on December 26 at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui.

On the other hand,  Imam-ul-Haq had fractured his left thumb also during a throw-down session. Imam had also been advised a 12-day rest, which confirmed his non-availability for the Pakistan Shaheens’ four-day match against New Zealand ‘A’ which starts on December 17.

Meanwhile, Pakistan T20I vice-captain Shadab Khan is also carrying a groin niggle, which limited his participation in Sunday’s net sessions to batting only. He had missed the Zimbabwe T20Is due to a similar injury and decision on his participation in the Auckland T20I will be made closer to the match.

Pakistan squad for New Zealand T20Is:

Shadab Khan (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Musa Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Qadir and Wahab Riaz. Babar Azam (withdrawn due to injury)

Pakistan Shaheens for New Zealand ‘A’ four-day match:

Rohail Nazir (captain), Abid Ali, Amad Butt, Azhar Ali, Danish Aziz, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Yasir Shah, Zafar Gohar and Zeeshan Malik. Imam-ul-Haq (withdrawn due to injury)

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Kunming (China), DEC 13 – China-South Asia On-line Expo held this year, that enabled 181 Pakistani exhibitors to start their online business, Gwadar Pro reported on Sunday.

According to the report, on December 12th, the Everlasting China-South Asia Online Expo 2020 kicked off. This year, free online booths were provided to all exhibitors.

Online expo has more potential. In the offline exhibition he can not display all of his products, while the online expo gives him opportunities to show more,” said Farooq Ahmed, a Pakistani exhibitor of a clothes company.

Pakistan’s Commercial Consuler in Beijing was making efforts to inviting more Pakistani exhibitors to participate.” Farooq said in an interview with Gwadar Pro.

The official website of the online expo shows that 181 Pakistani online exhibitors participate in the online expo. Among them, there are a lot of Pakistani food companies, which were uncommon in the Kunming expo before.

Farooq hoped  that the organizers will help the exhibitors to open the online business in China after the expo.

“Cooperating with JD.com, we have developed a digital platform for this online expo with the functions of exhibiting, negotiating and trading,” said Zhao Ruijun, head of the Department of Commerce of Yunnan Province.

“After the expo, the platform will keep providing online services for the exhibitors, ” he added.

Meanwhile, according to another Gwadar Pro’s report one ton of Chili seeds sent to Lahore，Pak-China Chili cooperation formally kicked off this winter.

“Chilies are very important in Sichuan cuisine and hotpot. ”said Mahmood Akhtar, deputy consul general of Pakistan in Chengdu.

“Pakistan’s temperature and soil conditions are very suitable for good quality food. Chili cooperation is specifically suitable for Sichuan and Pakistan.

According to Mahmood Akhtar, people were planning to introduce and grow chilies this year in Pakistan and then export to China. ”

The results of our experiment in growing chilies in Lahore and Karachi last year were very successful, and the product quality was not much different from that in China,” said Chen Li，chairman of Sichuan Litong Food.

“This month we just shipped a ton of chili seeds to Lahore, and more than 3,000 mu of land will be cultivated for chili.”

“This project is our cooperation with CMEC and a Pakistani agricultural company Fetima. We provide seeds and send technicians to Pakistan to train Fetima staff with planting technology.

After the chilies are ripe, they are naturally dried and then shipped back to China for further processing. Chen Li told Gwadar Pro that in addition to bring economic benefits, this project will also boost local employment. “In August next year, we will start planting in Karachi, she said.

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