ISLAMABAD: Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed Tuesday said that Pakistan, China, and Saudi Arabia can play a pivotal role in strengthening unity, economic development, and connectivity in the Muslim world.
Speaking at a webinar held under the banner of the “Friends of Silk Road” hosted by the Pakistan-China Institute (PCI) welcoming China’s participation in the OIC, the senator said: “China is emerging as a key player in the Muslim world and this role is being enhanced also due to its ties with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.”
He welcomed the close coordination between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, enabling the invitation to China in the OIC, which was in recognition of China’s longstanding relationship and support to the Muslim world.
He said that Pakistan-Saudi Arabia close collaboration is reminiscent of the brotherly bond between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia that enabled the first successful OIC summit in Pakistan in 1974.
He lauded the strategic shift in Saudi Arabia’s policies, both domestic and foreign, especially liberalization and opening up in Saudi society, economy, culture, plus policies curbing religious extremism and promotion of women’s rights, as well as improvement in Saudi Arabia’s relations with Iran and Turkey.
He said the strategic shift in Saudi Arabia was due to the enlightened leadership of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) and there are now even discussions between Saudi Arabia and China for selling oil in RMB, the Chinese currency, instead of the US dollar, while in the summer of 2022, President Xi Jinping is likely to visit Saudi Arabia and the Saudi crown prince is likely to visit Pakistan.
Speaking on the occasion, former Ambassador to China, Masood Khalid, who served in China for six years, said that China had developed its own model of law-based state governance, adopting global best practices, in which democracy entails prosperity and a consultative process.
He said President Xi Jinping remains very popular, as the lives of the Chinese people are being improved on a daily basis. He urged the need for cooperation between China and the United States.
Sultan Hali, who has authored books on President Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of China, referred to the remarkable transformation of China through people-centric development that has changed the lives of millions of Chinese, particularly lifting 800 million Chinese people out of poverty in just over three decades, and said this ‘system suits China’.
