ISLAMABAD -  Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani has said that Indo-Israel-US nexus would jeopardise regional peace and developments make it abundantly clear that the United States was making New Delhi a ‘new policeman’ in the region.

“This is why the West has finally realised that the people of Asia would shape their destiny and take a lead in making the Asian dream come true by controlling their own resources,” he said while addressing a ceremony held in connection with initiation of Chinese language classes and the launching of a report on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor titled “Facts versus Fiction,” a joint initiative of the Pakistan-China Institute and a business group.

Rabbani said that Pakistan and China had a history of friendship which was built by former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Mao Tes Tung and both had stood side by side and saw the vicissitudes of time.

He said that this historic friendship had remained beneficial for both in economic and strategic fields and initiatives like the CPEC and the One-Belt-One-Road project had added further impetus to bilateral relations between the two sides.    

Rabbani said that Asia was rising and the Asian people needed to be the masters of their own destiny by controlling their own resources and harnessing the tremendous economic potential of a combined Asia.

“The era of looking towards the West is coming to an end and the Western imperialism has begun to realise that it can no longer exploit the cheap labour and other resources of Asia,” he said.

He said that the West would resist the development process through destabilisation and regime changes in Asia and the Middle East. “The latest US assessment showed China and Russia as greater potential threats,” he said.

The Senate Chairman termed the initiation of Chinese language classes a positive step as it would give the students orientation of the Chinese language and make the communication between the people easy.

However, he said that both Chinese and Pakistani cultures were different having their own origin and importance for its people.

He said that the Pakistani culture emanated from the Indus Valley Civilisation and the people of China had a long history and culture.

He, however, cautioned that mistakes of the past should not be repeated and cultural identities should not be intermingled.

He also emphasised the need for promotion of regional languages stating they play a key role in national unity. 

Former Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed said that Pakistan enjoyed a historic, unique, unprecedented and strategic relationship with China which despite ups and downs remained resilient due to the commonality of views on issues and mutuality of interests.

He termed the One-Belt-One-Road initiative an important development project of the 21st century covering over 70 countries of Asia, Africa and Europe.

He said that the CPEC was moving at a very fast pace. “New elements have been made part of the CPEC which include agriculture, poverty alleviation and cultural and people-to-people linkages,” Mushahid said.

He said that currently thousands of Pakistani students were studying in China and there was a need to further explore new vistas of bilateral cooperation. 

He further said that forces inimical to the CPEC were trying to resist the development process. The balance of power, he said, was being transferred from the West to the East.

He brushed aside the propaganda of rising China threat and stated that there was no place in today’s world for cold war mentality.

The ceremony was also attended by Parliamentarians, envoys and others.