Pakistan, China to collaborate on new high-techology park

Daily Times ^ | Saturday, January 17, 2004 | editors

[risk]

Pakistan, China to collaborate on new high-techology park

BEIJING: For the economic development and industrialisation of Pakistan, a department of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology called the Torch Centre has agreed to help set up a high-tech park in Pakistan.

Initial negotiations were held between the two sides after a proposal from the Pakistani science minister, Dr Atta ur Rehman during his recent visit to China.

A Pakistan Embassy official of told APP that the two sides would need to sign bilateral cooperation agreement for the project to go ahead. Team of experts from the China Torch Centre would visit Pakistan to determine the feasibility of the plan.

Built keeping in view the environmental and market conditions in the country. China has agreed to help provide guidance and technical assistance for the park, which would consist of multiple heavy industrial networks, he said.

The expert team will also suggest design and infrastructure for the park. According to the sources, the embassy will hold further negotiations with the Chinese ministry after necessary approval from the Ministry of Science and Technology in Islamabad. The Islamabad Capital Development Authority (CDA) has already allocated land in I-12 sector for the industrial park.

Pakistan and China recently officially agreed to encourage their departments, scientific research institutes, universities and high-tech enterprises to broadly cooperate in technical areas of mutual interest such as telecommunications, water, electric power, aviation and space technology, computer, automation, metallurgy, Information Technology, medicine and health, petrochemistry, biotechnology and peaceful use of nuclear power.

Under the joint declaration of cooperationsigned in Beijing by President Pervez Musharraf and Chinese President Hu Jintao in November last year, Pakistan and China are also considering to work on the high-tech park, a specific leading group composed of officials from various central government departments has been set up for construction decisions, policy formulation and system optimisation.

The same group has set up high-tech parks in Britain and the United States. They have played an active role in giving Chinese enterprises experience of developed countries to promote their high-tech products in world markets.

According to the Chinese official, more than 24,000 high-tech programmes have been carried out in China over the past 15 years. Some of these programmes have resulted in patents for products such as high-performance computers, large-scale digital switches, mobile container inspection systems and high definition televisions.

Some 53 major high-tech development zones have been set up under the Torch Plan since 1991. Business income from the 53 zones grew to more than $184 billion last year. —APP

[risk]

ping

[Cronos]

Pakistan and China to collaborate on new Weapons of Mass Destruction and Proliferation Park.

[Cronos]

The Chinese really are desperate to keep India away from being a potential rival, aren't they? The Chinese Paki combination has given nukes to NorthKorea, Iran, Libya,Iraq, probably to Saud Arabi as well. And the worst thing is, the Chinese weapons program is funded by OUR money.

[risk]

My thoughts as well.

[Cronos]

Well then, I expect we also agree on:
1. Dubya's policy of pre-emption is the right way forward
2. Dubya MUST be re-elected to progress this war on Terrorism
3. We MUST get Russia, India, Germany and France (shouldn't be too difficult now what with the hijab controversy and the French always change their minds) to join the coalition of the willing. I would add China too, but methinks the cHinese wuold prefer to have the Western-Russian-India civilisations fight with the islamic one while covertly supllying weapons to the Slammies and ensurign that the Chinese civilisation comes on top at the end.

[risk]

On 1 and 2 yes. On 3: we can always hope. Diplomacy among friends is a wonderful thing. But if you ask me, I'd say that the Anglosphere had better be willing to fight this out to the death in a three front war of the worlds.

On the other hand, the Chinese might have a sudden realization that they could be the kingpins of peace and throw in their support for a global market, free flow of information, and internal reforms. We can always hope. I think the French and the Germans are going to keep wafling because it would break their economies to throw in (as the Japanese have) with us. The conflicts to come are not going to be cheap. They'll pretend to be "neutral" while we do all of their dirty work.

Meanwhile, about those ABMs. Get ready to lock and load...

If anyone doubts just how far we'll go to preserve the republic, that would be a very dangerous assumption indeed. The peaceniks are not going to be in charge here for a very long, long time.

[Atlantic Friend]

France's (and Germany's) economy has much more to lose from a break up with the USA than with states as China and Pakistan, however juicy the Chinese contracts may be.

We sell China what she can't produce herself - a fact that is quickly changing, as China has cornered the advanced electronics market, is moving on mobile phones components and builds high-tech products like fighter planes under license.

The interaction between French (or German) and American economy is, IMHO, of a tighter nature, as it is an exchange of products and services between industrialized nations enjoying roughly the same technological level. I could be proved wrong over the issue, but I see the transatlantic economical relations more "mature" and more vital.

[risk]

Let's hope for continued vitality. The left in America is thrilled that Germany and France are acting as a counterweight to American hegemony. However, both sides of that tryst are undesirable partners to security and liberty among our respective peoples. If there is a military threat to peace and freedom Europe, don't count on the American left to send in reinforcements. Likewise, America isn't going to benefit from socialist governments taxing and spending the profits of their subsidiaries and partners, as well as consumers -- in France and Germany. Moreover, Islamism is a threat to the whole world -- especially Europe. America woke up first, mainly due to 9/11. We're still waiting for you to "get it." The sword of Islam is already in your throats. We'll try to help you pull it out, but it's going to take a lot of effort to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, your fellow nationals are asking for the blade to be shoved further into the wound.

[Atlantic Friend]

The "counterweight" thing, from whatever side of the Atlantic it is acclaimed, a delusion and a strategic mistake. It's OK if we don't agree or don't see the things the same way - because it is an opportunity to widen our horizons and to make a sharper analysis of what is going on.

But we must be prepared to act together. I hope we'll soon reach the point where we all set our national egos aside, and work together to be a counterweight to chaos and world disorder.

[risk]

I hope we'll soon reach the point where we all set our national egos aside, and work together to be a counterweight to chaos and world disorder.

Bravo!

I will work for French-American reconcilliation from this end, with the humble means I have at my disposal, i.e. Free Republic and conversations with people I know. While I do not promise to be soft on France, I think we need to look for more patriots like you to build indirect links between our countries.

The word 'ego' is a useless one in this case. We face mutual enemies that are darker and more sinister than most of our respective populations can imagine. On this side of the Atlantic, those of us who recognize the threat (and there is more than one) would prefer to be reaffirming fierce loyalty in these discussions. As General Lafayette taught us, when a Frenchman is a true friend, one could not ask for better.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

But we must be prepared to act together. I hope we'll soon reach the point where we all set our national egos aside, and work together to be a counterweight to chaos and world disorder.

Yes, I recall Bush asking for help on this.

[risk]

Yes, A.F., as one who had a relative wounded by Hun gas in France, I can tell you that we have a right to demand much. But when you think about recent history, it's not much that we ask.