Pakistan's climate minister has called for joint action with China on glaciers, clean energy, and pollution control, stating that climate collaboration is among the most urgent priorities in bilateral ties between the countries.
Ahead of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's official visit to China, Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharal, Minister of State for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, sat for an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN). She emphasized that China-Pakistan ties, established 75 years ago, have shown great resilience.
While areas like infrastructure, trade and security previously defined the two countries' tight bond, the minister said that as relations mature, both sides have eyed collaboration on key environmental issues.
"Now we are entering a new phase, and in this phase, I think the most important thing in which we can collaborate is climate change, because we have already collaborated on other forms of security, in defense we have collaborated. Pakistan and China have stood with each other through all the ups and downs that they have faced historically. But now the most important and urgent issue that the world is facing is one of climate, because we have seen the devastating effects that climate can have. Pakistan and China not only share borders, we also share glaciers, so we need a glacier policy for the region that China can be a leader in," she said.
The climate minster also outlined potential areas of China-Pakistan climate collaboration and called for a joint working group to develop a regional glacier management policy in this regard.
"We can collaborate on energy security, we can collaborate on waste management systems, we can collaborate on pollution-free -- air pollution and water pollution, which is a very urgent need that needs to be fulfilled. Also, we need to have a policy, a regional policy for glacier management. All these things are there in the making, and I have already had meetings with the Ministry of Environment and Ecology at the highest level, and we are hoping that we can have a joint working group to work on all these things," said the minister.
Sharif arrived in Hangzhou on Saturday for an official visit to China that will run through Tuesday, at the invitation of Premier Li Qiang.
During his stay in Hangzhou, Sharif is expected to attend signing ceremonies, meet local officials, and visit Chinese technology companies.
Pakistani climate minister calls for joint action on clean energy, glacier protection
