The Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI) in collaboration with China Arms Control and Disarmament Association (CACDA) held a seminar on October 14, 2015 on Strategic Stability in South Asia and East Asia: Constructive Role Played by China.
The high powered delegation from CACDA was led by Ambassador Sha Zukang, Honorary President of the Association.Ambassador of China to Pakistan, Sun Weidong,was also present in this seminar. Ambassador Masood Khan,Director General, Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI) opened the inaugural session with his welcome remarks saying that strong relations with China were the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy. He added that Pakistan-China friendship has stood the test of time, and is expected to further deepen in the coming years.
Mr. Chen Kai, Vice President and Secretary General, CACDA in his remarks stressed the need to deepen the cooperation between Pakistan and China, as well as ISSI and CACDA.
Mr. Khalid Banuri, Director General, Arms Control and Disarmament Affairs (ACDA), Strategic Plans Division,expressed concern over the increasing conventional disparity between India and Pakistan, development of destabilising systems like the Ballistic Missile Defence system, and aggressive doctrine by India. He said that this makes achieving peace in the region a challenge.
Dr. Irfan Yusuf Shami, Director General, (Disarmament), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan, also stressed on the role of China as a trusted ally of Pakistan, as an important global as well as regional player.
Ambassador Sun Weidong,in his inaugural remarks said that South Asia with its two billion population was a very important part of China’s neighbourhood, and as such, it was in the interest of China to promote peace, stability and economic prosperity in the region.
Ambassador Sha Zukang,Honorary President, China Arms Control and Disarmament Association (CACDA) greatly appreciated the overwhelming welcome and hospitality extended by the people of Pakistan.
The inaugural session was followed by a signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding between ISSI and CACDA.
There were two sessions in this seminar.
The First Session was chaired by Mr. Pervez Butt, Former Chairman, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). Distinguished speakers of this session were Ambassador Sha Zukang, Honorary President, China Arms Contol and Disarmament Association (CACDA); Dr. Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, Director & Associate Professor School of Politics andInternational Relations, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad; Brig. Zahir Kazmi, Director, ACDA, Strategic Plans Division, Pakistan and Dr. Rizwana Abbasi, Assistant Professor, Strategic Studies Department, National Defence University, Pakistan. The theme of this session was Strategic Stability in South Asia and East Asia. The speakers highlighted that that since Second World War there has never been a major military clash between the countries of the South East Asia, and the region has been peaceful and stable in general. China believes that the Korean Peninsula should be denuclearized. Other speakers said that there are two grave challenges to the stability of South Asia, first is arms race, which has been initiated by the eastern neighbour of Pakistan and at the same time there is a confidence that the conflict sustainability might be possible, by China playing a third party role.
The Second Session was chaired by Dr. Rifaat Hussain, Professor, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, National University of Science and Technology. Distinguish speakers of this session were Ambassador Li Changhe, Senior Adviser to CACDA; Dr. Adil Sultan, Director, SPD; Dr. Rabia Akhtar, Director, Centre for Security, Strategy, and Policy Research (CSSPR) University of Lahore and Ms. Sitara Noor, Visiting Faculty Member, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi. The main theme of this session was Confidence Building Measures in South Asia and East Asia region. The speakers at this session talked about CBMs under the ambit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA). CBMs under a much wider umbrella including economic, environmental, and human dimension rather than just military CBMs were also discussed.
Director GeneralISSI, Masood Khan thanked the honourable guests from CACDA and the speakers.
Ambassador Khalid Mamood, Chairman Board of Governors, ISSIin his concluding remarks appreciated the Chinese people with regards to their ambition and clarity in achieving their goals. He expressed his confidence in the ISSI-CACDA Memorandum of Understanding to bear fruit in the future.
Tahir M.A./14102015
