Pakistan and China have discussed the option of establishing a Pakistan-China Information Corridor to bust fake news against the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The idea came under discussion during a meeting between Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, Jiang Zaidong here in Islamabad.
The discussion was also held on the CPEC, Pakistan-China strategic relations, and ongoing cooperation in the media and film sector.
The Chinese Ambassador congratulated Attaullah Tarar on assuming the portfolio of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The Minister underlined the need to devise a mechanism at the government-to-government and media-to-media level to counter fake news regarding the CPEC.
He said Pakistan highly valued its relations with China and their relations were bound by the eternal bond of friendship.
Attaullah Tarar said in 1998, his grandfather Muhammad Rafiq Tarar received the then Prime Minister of China on his visit to Pakistan as President.
“We have seen Pakistan-China friendship from generation to generation. We have to inform our new generation about our historical and strong friendship,” he maintained.
“We have to tell the new generation how China and Pakistan supported each other in difficult times,” the minister said.
Tarar said that China had supported Pakistan at every international forum including Shanghai Cooperation Organization and United Nations.
He opined that a close and sustainable partnership between the two countries in the form of CPEC was in the wider interest of the entire region.
The CPEC was an important milestone in promoting the economic development of Pakistan, Tarar remarked.
“The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a framework for regional connectivity that will not only benefit China and Pakistan but will also have positive effects on Iran, Afghanistan, India, Central Asian
Republics and the region,” the minister said.
He said that the China-Pakistan Information Corridor would be an important strategic step towards preventing fake news about CPEC as it aimed to harness the power of digital connectivity and information exchange.
The Ministry of Information, he added will continue its work in this regard.
He said it was the vision of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to make Pakistan an investor-friendly country.
“Like China, Pakistan is an ancient civilization with a history of seven thousand years,” Tarar told the Chinese envoy.
He said many spiritual and cultural movements emerged from the Indus Valley of Pakistan that shaped Asian culture.
The ancient Gandhara civilization of Pakistan introduced Buddhism to much of East Asia, including China, he stated.
He said Pakistan and China also jointly organized a Gandhara Buddhist exhibition at the Palace Museum last year.
