Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed said on Friday that Pakistan always welcomed the peaceful rise of China since it is a source of strength and security for the small and medium-sized countries in Asia, particularly neighbours like Pakistan.

“Now with regional economic cooperation, a ‘Greater South Asia’ is emerging, which apart from the seven states of the South Asian Subcontinent includes China, Myanmar, Iran and Afghanistan,” he expressed these views while talking to a four member delegation of Gansu Association for International Friendly Contact (GAIFC), led by its Vice President, Liu Guangjun, here at Pakistan-China Institute on Friday.

Senator Mushahid Hussain said that a stronger and multifaceted partnership to further promote people-to-people contact would be a force multiplier for Pakistan-China relations. “Those who talk of the ‘China threat’ or ‘containment of China’ are enemies of peace in Asia,” Senator Mushahid stated and added since such thinking would spark a new Cold War in Asia adding that China has to play a more active role to promote regional peace, especially in Afghanistan, and economic growth and prosperity through trade and investment.

Mushahid also briefed the participants about the recent visit of Chinese journalists to the Parliament House and informed that a trilateral conference will be jointly organised by China’s Xinhua news agency and Pakistan-China Institute this year in June in Hong Kong by inviting journalists, politicians, academia and experts from China, Pakistan and Afghanistan to discuss the emerging new scenario in Afghanistan and the region.

Leader of the Chinese delegation Liu Guangjun, appreciated the candid approach of Pakistan-China Institute chairman about regional issues and informed that he has visited Pakistan for many times and has made his own contributions to strengthen Pak-China Friendship.

Commenting on the South Asian Affairs, he briefed about his research articles on education, security, international relations and history, and participation in a number of national and international seminars and conferences both in China and abroad.

While replying to questions, Senator Mushahid said that Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestation. He termed the recent terrorist acts in Kunming as terrorism and informed that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has recently passed a resolution, on his initiative, condemning the terrorist acts, and the resolution underlined that ‘under no circumstances will any territory of Pakistan be used by any individual or group to destabilise China’.

Talking about the situation in Afghanistan which needs careful handling, he said the post-2014 scenario is highly important for neighboring countries and the United States should not repeat mistakes of the past.

He said Pakistan supports the process of Presidential elections, not any particular person for the April 6 elections. He welcomed China’s decision to play a more proactive diplomatic role in the region by convening a conference on Afghanistan in Tianjin in August 2014.