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| Pakistanis in Changzhou, China |
Jalil saw anecdotal of evidence of "Pakistani invasion" of China in the city of Changzhou in Jiangsu province. Changzhou has a population of about 5 million people which makes it a medium size city by Chinese standards. Changzhou is an educational hub and is home to several universities, including Changzhou University, Hohai University (Changzhou campus), Jiangsu Teachers' University of Science and Technology, Jiangsu Teachers' University of Technology, and Changzhou Institute of Technology. It attracts a large number of foreign students mainly from countries participating in China's BRI (Belt and Road Initiative). China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a flagship project of BRI. There are an estimated 22,000 Pakistani students studying in China. A significant fraction of these students receive Chinese government scholarships to study in the country.
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| Pakistani Restaurant in Changzhou, China |
Pakistanis in Beijing:
Jalil has also travelled to the Chinese capital Beijing for business. During one such trips, he stayed at Oak Chateau hotel where he met dozens of Pakistanis working as engineers. They work as IT engineers at German automakers BMW and Mercedes whose Beijing offices are located just across the street from this hotel.
Food and Music at Changzhou Restaurant:
On a visit to Changzhou last year, Jalil ate at MandS Restaurant, a Pakistani restaurant in the city of Changzou. He met its Pakistani owner and several young Pakistanis attending universities there. He learned that here are scores of Pakistanis in Changzou and most of them are reachable on a WeChat group. WeChat is a ubiquitous smartphone application similar to WhatsApp that serves as both mobile messaging and payment platform. Owned by Chinese social media giant TenCents, WeChat competes with China's e-commerce behemoth Alibaba's Alipay in mobile payments space which has rapidly grown in China. Jalil joined the Pakistani WeChat group in Changzhou and invited its members to dinner and Karaoke singing at MandS Restaurant. About 40 Pakistanis, mostly students, showed up. Many of the Changzhou Pakistanis, including girls, are from families living in small towns and villages in Pakistan. Many get fully funded scholarships with full tuition, room and board as well as a monthly stipend of 1,700 RMB for Master's degree students and 2,000 RMB for PhD candidates. China gets the benefit of the research work and publications produced by them.
Spinal Injury:
A Pakistani girl who had recently arrived had a serious mishap soon after arrival from her village near Multan. She slipped and fell. The fall caused serious spinal injuries requiring hospitalization and surgery. This occurred before her medical coverage started. The hospital demanded payment of RMB 35,000 which is equivalent to US$5,000. Pakistanis helped raise $4,000 and Jalil made up the difference to cover the unfortunate girl's medical expenses.
Muslims in Changzhou:
A large number of Muslims call Changzhou home. There are 5 mosques in the city. Jalil has had the opportunity to attend Friday prayers at packed mosques in the city. MandS Restaurant owner offered free meals to over 200 Muslims as part of Eid Milad un Nabi (Prophet Mohammad SAW's birthday)celebration last year.
China-Pakistan Ties:
Pakistan-China ties are rapidly growing well beyond the economy and the military with tens of thousands of Chinese and Pakistani citizens regularly traveling between the two countries.
More Pakistanis than ever are learning the Chinese language. China with its world class educational institutions is emerging as one of the top destinations for Pakistanis studying abroad. China-Pakistan relationship is becoming a truly multi-dimensional strategic relationship. This new phenomenon is the subject of a Pakistani spice company television commercial featuring a young Chinese woman in Lahore making the popular biryani dish using Shan masala.
China's Strides in Science and Technology:
Why is China becoming a fast growing destination for foreign students, including Pakistanis studying abroad? A story in India's "The Wire" online magazine has explained it in terms of the rapid rate of China's progress in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields as follows:
America's National Science Foundation and National Science Board have recently released their biennial science and engineering indicators which provide detailed figures on research and development (R&D), innovation and engineers. But its true message is in a different direction, “China has become,” concludes Robert J. Samuelson in a column, “or is in the verge of becoming – a scientific and technical superpower. This is not entirely unexpected given the size of the Chinese economy and its massive investments in R&D, even so, he says, “the actual numbers are breathtaking”.
1. China is the 2nd largest spender in R&D after the US, accounting for 21% of the world total which is $2 trillion. It has been going up 18% a year, as compared to 4% in the US. An OECD report says that China could overtake the US in R&D spending by 2020.
2. China has overtaken the US in terms of total number of science publications. Technical papers have increased dramatically, even if their impact, as judged by citation indices, may not be that high.
3. The US continues to produce more PhDs and attract more foreign students. But new international enrollment at US colleges was down for the first time in the decade in 2017. The Trump administration’s anti-immigration rhetoric and actions are scaring away students.
4. China has begun shifting from being an assembler of high-tech components, to a maker of super computers and aircraft and given the pattern of its investments in RandD and technology development, it is focusing on becoming the world leader in artificial intelligence (AI), quantum communications, quantum computing, biotechnology and electric vehicles.
Summary:
While the growing presence of the Chinese in Pakistan gets a lot of press, there has been relatively little coverage of the movement of people in the other direction---from Pakistan to China. Pakistan-China ties are rapidly growing well beyond the economy and the military with tens of thousands of Chinese and Pakistani citizens regularly traveling between the two countries. Jalil Shaikh, a Pakistani-American tech executive in Silicon Valley, has observed this phenomenon during his frequent visits to Jiangsu province in China. Jalil is often welcomed as "iron brother" by the people he meets during his stays in China. More Pakistanis than ever are learning the Chinese language. China with its world class educational institutions is emerging as one of the top destinations for Pakistanis studying abroad. It is becoming a truly multi-dimensional relationship which will help Pakistan rise with China on the world stage.
Here's a video clip of Karaoke Dinner in Changzhou, China:
https://youtu.be/2YSnDGtVjsk
Related Links:
Haq's Musings
Rapid Growth of China-Pakistan Educational, Scientific and Cultural Ties
China-Pakistan Strategic Ties
US and China Compete For Influence in Pakistan
China-Pakistan Defense Tech Cooperation Irks West
Pakistan-Russia-China vs India-Japan-US
Pakistan Rising or Falling? Myth Vs Reality
Facts and Myths About China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
China Emerges as Top Destination for Pakistanis Studying Abroad
Sec Hagel: India Using Afghanistan to Launch Attacks in Pakistan
Ex Indian Spy Documents RAW's Successes Against Pakistan
Riaz Haq's Youtube Channel
26 comments:
These Pakistanis are literally following the hadiths where the prophet said " Educate yourself, even if you have to go to China for it"
I am sure it will grow. I am sure China giving students very nice scholarships.
How #China could dominate #science and #technology . In 2013-18, more #research publications came from China than from any other country in 23 of the 30 busiest fields. China accounted for 11% of the most influential papers in 2014-16. https://www.economist.com/leaders/2019/01/12/how-china-could-dominate-science via @TheEconomist
There is no doubting Mr Xi’s determination. Modern science depends on money, institutions and oodles of brainpower. Partly because its government can marshal all three, China is hurtling up the rankings of scientific achievement, as our investigations show (see article). It has spent many billions of dollars on machines to detect dark matter and neutrinos, and on institutes galore that delve into everything from genomics and quantum communications to renewable energy and advanced materials. An analysis of 17.2m papers in 2013-18, by Nikkei, a Japanese publisher, and Elsevier, a scientific publisher, found that more came from China than from any other country in 23 of the 30 busiest fields, such as sodium-ion batteries and neuron-activation analysis. The quality of American research has remained higher, but China has been catching up, accounting for 11% of the most influential papers in 2014-16.
Such is the pressure on Chinese scientists to make breakthroughs that some put ends before means. Last year He Jiankui, an academic from Shenzhen, edited the genomes of embryos without proper regard for their post-partum welfare—or that of any children they might go on to have. Chinese artificial-intelligence (ai) researchers are thought to train their algorithms on data harvested from Chinese citizens with little oversight. In 2007 China tested a space-weapon on one of its weather satellites, littering orbits with lethal space debris. Intellectual-property theft is rampant.
The looming prospect of a dominant, rule-breaking, high-tech China alarms Western politicians, and not just because of the new weaponry it will develop. Authoritarian governments have a history of using science to oppress their own people. China already deploys ai techniques like facial recognition to monitor its population in real time. The outside world might find a China dabbling in genetic enhancement, autonomous ais or
geoengineering extremely frightening.
These fears are justified. A scientific superpower wrapped up in a one-party dictatorship is indeed intimidating. But the effects of China’s growing scientific clout do not all point one way.
For a start, Chinese science is about much more than weapons and oppression. From better batteries and new treatments for disease to fundamental discoveries about, say, dark matter, the world has much to gain from China’s efforts.
Moreover, it is unclear whether Mr Xi is right. If Chinese research really is to lead the field, then science may end up changing China in ways he is not expecting.
Mr Xi talks of science and technology as a national project. However, in most scientific research, chauvinism is a handicap. Expertise, good ideas and creativity do not respect national frontiers. Research takes place in teams, which may involve dozens of scientists. Published papers get you only so far: conferences and face-to-face encounters are essential to grasp the subtleties of what everyone else is up to. There is competition, to be sure; military and commercial research must remain secret. But pure science thrives on collaboration and exchange.
This gives Chinese scientists an incentive to observe international rules—because that is what will win its researchers access to the best conferences, laboratories and journals, and because unethical science diminishes China’s soft power. Mr He’s gene-editing may well be remembered not just for his ethical breach, but also for the furious condemnation he received from his Chinese colleagues and the threat of punishment from the authorities. The satellite destruction in 2007 caused outrage in China. It has not been repeated.
Pak Army shall ensure security of CPEC at all costs, Gen Bajwa tells President Xi Jinping
https://www.dawn.com/news/1433887
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Bajwa, on special invitation, called on the President of China Xi Jinping in China on Wednesday to discuss the region's security and the challenges it is faced with, the military's media wing said.
The Chinese president acknowledged that Pakistan has been a "time-tested iron friend" to China and the Pakistan Army has had a role in this lasting relationship, according to a statement released on Twitter by Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor.
The Chinese president promised that his country would continue to work with Pakistan and support it as a strategic partner.
He said that those who oppose the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) or China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) "shall never succeed as this is an initiative of peace and development not only for China but for [the] region and beyond".
Gen Bajwa said that Pakistan "understands the importance of peace and has [made a] lot of sacrifices for achieving it".
"BRI with CPEC as its flagship is destined to succeed despite all odds and the Pakistan Army shall ensure security of CPEC at all costs," the Gen Bajwa assured the Chinese president.
The army chief added that "we need to stay strong to thwart designs of all inimical forces challenging our resolve and we greatly value [the] Chinese support in this regard".
The warmth shown by Chinese brothers is unbelievable. In my last trip with family, had misplaced passport at airport and realized only during immigration. As soon I explained I was Pakistani, they went out of the way. We were allowed to wait in ac lounge used only by airport employees. While we were served premium oolong tea, they dispatched a search party and we were given updates every 30min. A translator and lunch were offered. All this time the embassy phone number was ringing with out answer !
Anyone who has visited YiDong market in Shanghai will agree to the warmth of Chinese to Pakistani brother. There is an unwritten rule of 20% discount as soon as you tell you are from Pakistan. I have my self seen some Indians abusing this privilege pretending to be Pakistanis.
Pakistanis are extremely well respected in China. I know a little Chinese and when I was lost on my way to Beijing from Guangzhou on technical business (sorry, I cannot elaborate further), I was treated very well. At the train station, I told them I was from Pakistan on business, the Manager used his own scan card to let me in to an exquisite area where I rested because I had missed my Train. He then proceeded to get me a new train ticket at no charge! Wonderful people. I was served this amazing meal and when I asked how much, I was told "peng you, bù shōu qǔ rèn hé fèi yòng" which means "our friend, there is no charge"
I would say to all Pakistanis. Pakistan-China relationship is truly all weather.
Wanted to share. Thanks
#Saudi to set up $10 billion #oil #refinery in #Pakistan."#SaudiArabia wants to make Pakistan's economic development stable through establishing an oil refinery and partnership with Pakistan in #CPEC" Saudi Energy Khalid al-Falih told reporters in #Gwadar https://cnb.cx/2TJMPDz
Saudi Arabia plans to set up a $10 billion oil refinery in Pakistan's deepwater port of Gwadar, the Saudi energy minister said on Saturday, speaking at the Indian Ocean port that is being developed with the help of China.
Pakistan wants to attract investment and other financial support to tackle a soaring current account deficit caused partly by rising oil prices. Last year, Saudi Arabia offered Pakistan a $6 billion package that included help to finance crude imports.
"Saudi Arabia wants to make Pakistan's economic development stable throughestablishing an oil refinery and partnership with Pakistan in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor," Saudi Energy Khalid al-Falih told reporters in Gwadar.
He said Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman would visit Pakistan in February to sign the agreement. The minister added that Saudi Arabia would also invest in other sectors.
Beijing has pledged $60 billion as part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that involves building power stations, major highways, new and upgraded railways and higher capacity ports, to help turn Pakistan into a major overland route linking western China to the world.
"With setting up of an oil refinery in Gwadar, Saudi Arabia will become an important partner in CPEC," Pakistan Petroleum Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said.
The Saudi news agency SPA earlier reported that Falih met Pakistan's petroleum minister and Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi in Gwadar to discuss cooperation in refining, petrochemicals, mining and renewable energy.
It said Falih would finalise arrangements ahead of signing memorandums of understanding.
Since the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan came to power in August, Pakistan has secured economic assistance packages from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and China.
In November, Pakistan extended talks with the International Monetary Fund as it seeks its 13th bailout since the late 1980s to deal with a looming balance of payments crisis.
The Pakistani prime minister's office had said on Thursday that Islamabad expected to sign investment agreements with Saudi Arabia and the UAE in coming weeks.
Hike shows why super apps don’t work in India the way they do in China
https://qz.com/india/1522956/why-kavin-mittals-hike-could-not-be-chinas-wechat-for-india/
In China, WeChat—a mash-up of WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Yelp, Paypal, Twitter, Uber, Kindle, and more—has become an indispensable part of everyday life for people. The super app provides a long list of services from booking cabs to ordering food delivery to playing games to transferring money, keeping users locked in its ecosystem.
But the creator of India’s popular instant messaging app, Hike, believes this is no China.
Until now, Hike has housed messaging, news updates, digital payments, and cab bookings all under one app-roof. But on Jan. 10, it announced plans to unbundle in 2019.
“In our business the user experience is key and the value isn’t just in the number of users but how engaged they are on our platforms,” said founder and CEO Kavin Bharti Mittal. “Unbundling Hike into multiple apps focused on doing one thing allows us more room in the pixels to deliver much more around one problem.”
Social features like messaging, and content where snackable posts are available, are two segments within the current Hike app that drive high engagement. Users spend upwards of 30 minutes daily in each. Going forward, Hike’s 100 million users will be able to choose between continuing to use the current Hike app or migrating to the specific new apps as they branch off.
Experts think the decision is apt. “India is still in the formative stages when it comes to getting users acquainted to being app-dependent,” said Sanchit Vir Gogia, chief analyst and CEO at Greyhound Research. “Super apps are for more evolved users who have already gone through the learning curve. Hence they do way better in Japan and China, where penetration of smartphones and mobile internet is way better.” In fact, WeChat itself tanked in India.
The move comes eight months after Hike, which began as an instant messenger in 2012, admitted to spreading itself too thin. In the first place, the company didn’t have a clear path to monetisation; acquisitions and employees were weighing heavy on its costs. As part of cleaning up its act, Hike shuttered its Bengaluru office and laid off nearly 25% of its 350-strong workforce in May last year.
Going cashless in Shanghai
By Jennifer Pak
https://www.marketplace.org/2019/01/15/world/going-cashless-shanghai
It’s been more than six years since the World Trade Organization ruled that foreign credit card companies should be able to operate freely in China, but it still hasn’t happened.
And it might already be too late for Visa, Mastercard and American Express to compete there. Only one in two people in China has a credit card, according to the People's Bank of China. The average American has 2.6 cards.
In major cities like Shanghai, residents can get by with just two mobile payment apps: Alibaba’s Alipay and Tencent’s WeChat Pay.
Mobile payment has exploded in China. In 2016, Chinese consumers made about $23 trillion (157.55 trillion yuan) worth of transactions through mobile payment platforms, according to the People's Bank of China. That compares to an estimate of just over $100 billion in the U.S. that same year.
Jennifer Pak, Marketplace China correspondent
Forms of payments used in the last 72 hours: Mostly WeChat Pay, Alipay
Places of purchase: Local vegetable and seafood market, fruit store, DiDi rideshare app, supermarket, e-commerce app Taobao by Alibaba, restaurants, Shanghai utilities
Items: Vegetables, seafood, meat, fruits, baking soda, taxi fares, children’s toy, utility bills, meals at restaurants
Cash use: Once, to pay for Chinese language lessons
After visit of #China's #Uyghur region by diplomats of 12 large #Muslim population nations incl. #India, here's #Pakistan diplomat Mumtaz Zahra Baloch: "During this visit, I did not find any instance of forced labour or cultural and religious repression" https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/no-cultural-religious-repression-of-uyghur-muslims-in-xinjiang-pak-diplomat-119012401158_1.html#.XEornIENTQI.twitter
A senior Pakistani diplomat on Thursday put up a staunch defence of the controversial education camps in China's volatile Xinjiang province where thousands of Uyghur Muslims have been reportedly detained, saying there is no forced labour or cultural and religious repression in the region.
China recently took diplomats from 12 countries with large Muslim populations, including India and Pakistan, to its Xinjiang province where tens of thousands of members of the minority Uyghur Muslims have been interned in education camps.
"During this visit, I did not find any instance of forced labour or cultural and religious repression," Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the Charge d'affaires, Pakistan's Embassy in China, told the state-run Global Times on Thursday.
"The imams we met at the mosques and the students and teachers at the Xinjiang Islamic Institute told us that they enjoy freedom in practicing Islam and that the Chinese government extends support for maintenance of mosques all over Xinjiang," said
Baloch, who visited Xinjiang as part of delegation of diplomats.
"Similarly, I did not see any sign of cultural repression. The Uyghur culture as demonstrated by their language, music and dance is very much part of the life of the people of Xinjiang," she said.
Asked about the security situation in Xinjiang, which has been "beset by terrorism", Baloch said, "we learned that the recent measures have resulted in improvement of the security situation in Xinjiang and there have been no incidents of terrorism in recent months."
"The counter-terrorism measures being taken are multidimensional and do not simply focus on law enforcement aspects. Education, poverty alleviation and development are key to the counter-terrorism strategy of the Chinese government," she said.
Xinjiang's regional government invited diplomatic envoys as well as representatives from Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Afghanistan, Thailand, and Kuwait following reports about detention of thousands of Uygur and other Muslims in massive education camps.
The UN's Geneva-based Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination last year said that it was alarmed by "numerous reports of ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities" being detained in Xinjiang region and called for their immediate release.
Estimates about them "range from tens of thousands to upwards of a million," it had said.
China defended the camps, saying they are re-education camps aimed at de-radicalising sections of the Uyghur population from extremism and separatism.
China has been carrying out massive crackdown on the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) in Xinjiang province, where Uyghurs who formed majority in the region were restive over the increasing settlements of Han community.
Pakistan and several other Muslim countries faced criticism about their silence over China's crackdown on Muslims in Xinjiang.
China has about 20 million Muslims who are mostly Uyghurs, an ethnic group of Turkic origin, and Hui Muslims, who are of the Chinese ethnic origin. While Uyghurs lived in Xinjiang, bordering Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Hui Muslims resided in Ningxia province.
#China is top destination for foreign #education for #Pakistan with 28,023 students. #Pakistan ranks third after #SouthKorea with 50,600 and #Thailand with 28,608 students in #China. #India ranks 4th with 23,198, and #UnitedStates 5th with 20,996. https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/457905-china-becomes-top-destination-for-pakistani-students
A total of 492,185 international students from 196 countries and regions studied in China, last year, up 0.62 percent on the previous year.
The number of students pursuing academic education increased by 6.86 percent year-on-year to 258,122, accounting for 52.44 percent of the total.
Students studying for master’s and doctoral degrees increased by 12.28 percent to 85,062. Most international students in China have been self-funded, accounting for 87.19 percent of the total.
The official data shows that China has become the top education destination for Pakistani students as out of all of them enrolled in Chinese universities, around 7,034 are studying on scholarships.
The number of Pakistani students has risen in China mainly because of a series of preferential policies offered by the Chinese government after the launch of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a pilot project of Belt and Road Initiative.
Currently, 6,156 Pakistani students are studying in Ph.D., 3,600 in Masters, 11,100 in Bachelors and 3,000 in Short Term Exchange Programs across China.
Pakistani students are studying Chinese language, engineering, medical, computer science and various other fields.
Various scholarships are provided by the Chinese government to lure international students over – most notably, students from the Belt and Road Initiative participating countries and regions have been facilitated to obtain scholarships under the Chinese Government Scholarship – Silk Road Program.
Pakistani students also enthusiastically participate in cultural activities organized different universities across China.
They set up booths decorated with traditional Pakistani stuff and beautiful posters depicting different social and cultural activities and historical places in Pakistan.
Pakistani students also represent the country in the music, essay writing, and photography competitions to be organized under the Belt and Road Initiative in China.
How China is redrawing the map of world science
The Belt and Road Initiative, China’s mega-plan for global infrastructure, will transform the lives and work of tens of thousands of researchers. By Ehsan Masood
https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-019-01124-7/index.html
As one component of this massive initiative, China is creating what it calls a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, a giant oceanic loop that links the country’s shipping to the nations bordering each of the great oceans, including some in Africa and South America. Then there’s the Silk Road Economic Belt, a complicated network of six overland corridors that connect China to some of Asia and Europe’s major cities through railways, roads and maritime paths.
The signs of a scientific BRI emerged soon after Xi visited central Asia in September 2013. The following year, CAS funded an upgrade to a 1-metre telescope at Uzbekistan’s Ulugh Beg Astronomical Institute. The improvement paved the way for the Uzbekistan institute to survey the northern sky in collaboration with China’s Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory. Uzbekistan has no experience in telescope making, observatory director Shuhrat Ehgamberdiev told the CAS Bulletin, so the most important technological part was done by China’s engineers. This was the beginning of much grander plans by CAS.
The BRI’s scientific component is being masterminded by Bai. Trained in China as an X-ray crystallographer, Bai worked with John Baldeschwieler at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena in the mid-1980s on scanning tunnelling microscopy.
Even early in Bai’s career, it was clear he would go far, says Baldeschwieler, who remembers predicting that Bai would one day become president of CAS. During a visit to Beijing in 1995, Baldeschwieler was amazed to find that Bai had arranged a meeting with China’s then-president Jiang Zemin. “We were picked up in a small bus and taken by police escort with flashing lights through Tiananmen Square to the Great Hall of the People.” Young boys and girls were lining the stairs on a red carpet, he recalls.
Under Bai, the science BRI has been running on three parallel tracks. In China, CAS has established five centres of excellence at its institutes, and these host the 200 PhD students that the academy trains every year.
Outside China, it has opened nine research and training centres, in Africa, central Asia, South America and south and southeast Asia — often co-funded by their host countries. The China–Brazil Joint Laboratory for Space Weather in São José dos Campos, for example, is monitoring space weather changes and developing forecast models. In Bangkok, the CAS Innovation Cooperation Center helps Thailand’s universities and technology companies to work with Chinese counterparts, and at the same time gives China a foothold in the region. And then there are hundreds of individual collaborations between CAS and universities in China and elsewhere.
The third track is what CAS is calling the Digital Belt and Road, a platform for participating countries to share the data obtained as part of their collaborative projects with each other and with China. These data include satellite images as well as quantitative data on natural hazards, water resources and cultural heritage sites.
To draw these and other activities together, CAS established a super committee of scientific research organizations in 2016. This network goes by the acronym ANSO, short for Alliance of International Science Organizations in the Belt and Road Region. Its 37 members span the globe, stretching from the Russian Academy of Sciences to the University of Chile. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in Paris is also a founding member. As part of its activities, ANSO plans to support and organize research in BRI countries on sustainable development, including improving food security and reducing water scarcity.
China Focus: China, Pakistan cooperate to cultivate technical talents
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-05/29/c_138099444.htm
After the conclusion of the First Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) in Beijing in 2017, a delegation of Pakistan's largest province Punjab headed to Tianjin and signed an agreement with the coastal municipality to cooperate on vocational education.
In July 2018, Tianjin Modern Vocational Technology College and Punjab's Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority co-founded the Pakistan Luban Workshop in Punjab. The workshop offers courses such as new energy vehicles and electromechanical integration technology.
Ali (Arqam, 19) was among the first batch of students recruited by the workshop. "The learning process is so much fun, just like playing toys," he said, adding he was impressed by the advanced training facilities of the workshop.
Apart from the workshop in Pakistan, eight Luban Workshops have been set up in Asia, Africa and Europe since 2016, training more than 4,000 students and about 600 teachers.
"The workshop doesn't teach local students directly but trains local teachers at first. This is a bridge connecting China's vocational education with the world," said Lyu Jingquan, deputy director of Tianjin Municipal Education Commission.
In addition, the Punjab Tianjin University of Technology (PTUT) featuring vocational education was established in 2018, by three Tianjin universities and a vocational education training organization of Punjab. With nearly 500 students, PTUT offers seven specialties including mechanical engineering, automotive engineering, electrical engineering, electric engineering, fashion design and architecture.
"The students show great interest in our courses and are able to quickly acclimate to the new teaching methods," said Zhao Wei, a teacher from Tianjin University of Technology and Education, who's now teaching at PTUT.
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION BOOSTS DEVELOPMENT
Of the nearly 200 million people in Pakistan, people aged between 16 and 30 accounts for about 60 percent of the entire population.
"We have a large number of young people, who need to be trained to master a skill, which could help them secure a job," said Muhammad Asif, the academic dean with PTUT.
Asif believed that professional and technical personnel have played an important role in China's economic development and helped China achieve great prosperity. The government of Punjab hopes to promote vocational education, cultivate highly skilled labor force, and increase youth employment, by learning from China's experience.
"Punjab attempts to improve employment through enhancing vocational education, while we also want to foster more talents for both Pakistani and Chinese enterprises along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)," said Liu Xin, president of Tianjin University of Technology and Education.
Pakistan hopes to learn from China's experience of vocational education development to stimulate the development of the CPEC, according to Syed Javed Hassan, Chairman of Pakistan National Vocational and Technical Training Commission.
After over five years of construction, CPEC has yielded fruitful achievements, creating more than 75,000 jobs for Pakistan.
Aside from vocational education cooperation, China and Pakistan have a wider range of cooperation in education.
Statistics showed around 2,500 students from Pakistan went to study in China in 2017, and the number of Pakistani students in China stands at 22,000 as of May 2019.
28,000 #Pakistanis studying in #China. 6,156 Pakistani #students in Phd, 3,600 in Masters, 11,100 in Bachelors and 3,000 in Short Term Exchange Programs. They's studying Chinese language, #engineering, #medicine, #computer science and other fields. #CPEC https://tribune.com.pk/story/1950783/1-28000-pakistanis-studying-china/#
Pakistan ranks third in the number of international students currently studying in China with 28,023 students, according to a statement issued by China’s Ministry of Education.
South Korea ranked first with 50,600 students, followed by Thailand with 28,608, India with 23,198, and the United States with 20,996.
A total of 492,185 international students from 196 countries studied in China, last year, up 0.62 per cent from the previous year. The number of students pursuing academic education increased by 6.86 per cent year-on-year to 258,122, accounting for 52.44 per cent of the total.
Students studying for master’s and doctoral degrees increased by 12.28 per cent to 85,062. Most international students in China have been self-funded, accounting for 87.19 per cent of the total.
The official data shows that China has become the top education destination for Pakistani students as out of all of them enrolled in Chinese universities, around 7,034 are studying on scholarships.
The number of Pakistani students has risen in China mainly because of a series of preferential policies offered by the Chinese government after the launch of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a pilot project of Belt and Road Initiative.
Currently, 6,156 Pakistani students are studying in Phd, 3,600 in Masters, 11,100 in Bachelors and 3,000 in Short Term Exchange Programs across China. Pakistani students are also studying Chinese language, engineering, medical, computer science and various other fields.
Various scholarships are provided by the Chinese government to lure international students over – most notably, students from the Belt and Road Initiative participating countries and regions have been facilitated to obtain scholarships under the Chinese Government Scholarship – Silk Road Program. Pakistani students also enthusiastically participate in cultural activities organised different universities across China.
They set up booths decorated with traditional Pakistani items and posters depicting different social and cultural activities and historical places in Pakistan.
Pakistani students also represent the country in the music, essay writing, and photography competitions to be organised under the Belt and Road Initiative in China.
#Pakistani students shine at #Beijing Institute of Technology #China. Among distinguished international students from #Russia, #Poland, #Germany, #France, #Kazakhstan, #Egypt and #African countries, 85% of the top award winners are from #Pakistan. http://a.msn.com/0F/en-xl/BBYlsRv?ocid=st
BEIJING: A number of Pakistani students at Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), a major research university under the supervision of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, were awarded “best student of the year” for their performance during current academic year.
Out of total distinguished international students from Russia, Poland, Germany, France, Kazakhstan, Egypt and African countries who won the award, 85 per cent belonged to Pakistan, according to a data released by the institute.
Manzoor Sutlan, a student of Armament Science and Technology Department, excelled in the research on molecular dynamics simulation, co-crystallization to decrease, sensitivity of explosive materials.
Similarly, Syed Anees Haider Zaidi of Management Science and Engineering was awarded excellent student award for research in green supply chain.
Raja Hamid Dhanyak carried out research in electronic science and technology and Syed Zaheer from Mathematics department of the university conducted research in geometry and were declared excellent students.
Two students Zahoor Ahmed and Shujah-ur-Rehman from School of Management Economics excelled in carrying out research in environmental sustainability, energy economic and accounting respective.
Zeeshan Masood, a student of School of Automation and Ali Muhammad Rawahid, a student of aerospace engineering excellently performed during their research in control science and engineering and electric propulsion respectively.
Ubaid Khan, Qasim Umer and Adnan Tahir, students of school of optics and photonic, computer science and life sciences respective were selected or the excellent award for research in optical engineering, machine learning, software maintenance and bioinformatics and neurobiology.
More than 2,500 international students from 137 countries are currently enrolled at the university.
The largest student population is from Pakistan, South Korea, Russia, Poland, Germany, France, Kazakhstan, Indonesia and Thailand.
Every year, the university nominates some students for excellent students of the year on the basis of their performance.
THE world is undergoing a transformation of historic proportions. Two main drivers of this are the growing US-China rivalry and the scientific and technological revolution worldwide especially in the US, China, Western Europe and other developed countries. Both developments will have far-reaching implications for global politics, security and economy. Countries, which understand the fundamental forces driving the world and take steps to safeguard their national interests, will forge ahead of others who fail to understand the implications of the changes shaping the globe.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1598083
This prospect raises critical foreign policy and security issues for the consideration of Pakistan’s leaders and policymakers. The main foreign policy challenge confronting Pakistan would be to deepen its strategic cooperation with China in the face of the growing US-India strategic partnership while maintaining friendly ties with the US-led West which has its own importance in Pakistan’s political, economic and security calculations. The ramifications of the global geopolitical transformation in the Middle East, in the backdrop of the growing Indo-US-Israeli political, security and economic footprint in the region and the deep political divide between Iran and some of the GCC states, will pose their own set of difficult foreign policy choices for Pakistan.
The scientific and technological revolution unfolding in the US, China, Western Europe and other developed countries is another element driving the global transformation over and above the growing US-China rivalry. Developments in cutting-edge information technology ie semi-conductors, data, 5G mobile networks, internet standards, artificial intelligence and quantum computing particularly will help determine not only which country or countries have military edge but also a more dynamic economy.
Countries neglecting education, particularly science and technology, in their national development plans will increasingly become irrelevant in international politics with the passage of time. Unfortunately, Pakistan, which lags far behind in economic, scientific and technological development because of the short-sightedness of its leaders and policymakers, falls in this category. In the absence of necessary corrective steps by our government, the adverse consequences of our flawed policies will continue to haunt us far into the future.
Pakistan is a significant exporter of international students globally. According to UNESCO statistics, the number of outbound Pakistani degree-seeking students grew by 70 percent over the last decade, from 31,156 in 2007 to 53,023 in 2017.
https://wenr.wes.org/2020/02/education-in-pakistan
Another important driver is the lack of university seats and high-quality study programs in Pakistan, particularly at the graduate level. While Pakistan has created a tremendous amount of new doctoral programs over the past decade, growing numbers of Pakistani scholars are heading abroad to access higher quality education, primarily in fields like engineering and the sciences. To modernize research in Pakistan and raise the qualifications profile of university faculty, the government supports this development with scholarship programs of considerable scale, considering Pakistan’s fiscal constraints. While most Pakistani students are said to be self-funded, overseas scholarship programs have helped thousands of graduate students to pursue studies in the United States, the United Kingdom, Cuba, Germany, France, and various other countries in recent years. Scholarship recipients are often required to return home after graduation.
The traditional English-speaking international study destinations, Australia and the U.S., are currently the top choices among Pakistani degree-seeking students, as per UNESCO statistics. Data published by the Australian government show that the number of Pakistani students grew almost threefold over the past decade, from 3,512 in 2008 to 10,000 in 2019, making Pakistan one of the top 10 sending countries of tertiary students in Australia.
In the U.S., likewise, Pakistani enrollments have generally been on an upward trajectory over the past few years. According to the Open Doors data of the Institute of International Education, Pakistan sent 7,957 students to the U.S. in 2018/19, an increase of 5.6 percent over the previous year, making it the 22nd most important sending country. Around 44 percent of these students are enrolled in undergraduate programs, 35 percent in graduate programs, and 4 percent in non-degree programs, while 17 percent pursue Optional Practical Training.
Other popular destination countries include the U.K. and the Muslim-majority countries Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, the latter also being a magnet for labor migrants from Pakistan. It should be noted, however, that China has emerged as a significant destination as well. China may, in fact, now host the largest number of Pakistani international students worldwide. While UNESCO does not report data for China, and Chinese government figures are difficult to compare,[1] Pakistan is currently the third-largest sending country to China with 28,000 students, per Chinese statistics. As in neighboring India, many Pakistani students flock to China to pursue medical education—an underdeveloped and severely overburdened education sector in both India and Pakistan. Increased political and economic cooperation between Pakistan and China and Chinese scholarship funding likely play a significant role as well. Increasing numbers of Pakistani students are interested in learning Chinese.
In general, Pakistani students have increasingly diversified their international study destinations in recent years. In Canada, for instance, the number of Pakistani students has doubled over the past decade, if on a relatively small scale (4,050 students in 2019). Another notable destination country is Germany, where Pakistan is now among the top 20 sending countries after enrollments jumped by 28 percent within just one year, from 3,836 in 2017 to 4,928 in 2018—a trend likely driven, among other factors, by the availability of tuition-free, high-quality graduate programs in engineering.
UNESCO Global Flow of Tertiary-Level Students From Pakistan
http://uis.unesco.org/en/uis-student-flow
China 28,000 (Not included in UNESCO numbers)
Australia 11,324
United States 7,412
United Kingdom 5,594
Malaysia 4,649
Germany 4,204
Canada 2,802
Saudi Arabia 2,165
Turkey 1,822
Italy 1,339
South Korea 1,272
Kyrgyzstan 830
Sweden 806
Finland 675
Qatar 638
Bahrain 580
Cyprus 551
Hungary 469
France 410
Norway 344
New Zealand 326
Oman 300
Netherlands 289
Iran 282
China-Pakistan health corridor | By Dr Muhammad Shahbaz in China
https://pakobserver.net/china-pakistan-health-corridor-by-dr-muhammad-shahbaz/
There are more than 68,000 medical students studying in China making up 13.8% of the total 492,000 of university students and Pakistani students rank No.2 with overall 28000 students studying in different fields.
Currently more than 7500 Pakistani medical students are studying here and so far more than 15,000 students have graduated from China since 2001. The majority of them have learned MBBS.
A number of them have got Masters and PhD Degrees. CPMA will play an important role to solve problems of Pakistani medical students and doctors.
In Pakistan, there are 281072 registered doctors with Pakistan Medical Commission(1 doctor for 782 people) a majority of these doctors need medical training and advanced medical equipment.
There are 32030 specialist doctors (1 specialist doctor for every 6868 people) registered with CPSP.
According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics report 2019 there are 133707 beds in hospitals and dispensaries making it 1 bed for 1645 people and national health infrastructure is comprised of 1279 hospitals, 5527 BHUs, 747 Maternity & Child Health Centers, and 1400 TB centres.
China has vast healthcare facilities with 8 million health workers, including 3 million practicing doctors, 800,000 surgeons, 6 million nurses, and 27,215 hospitals.
CPMA can provide platform for doctor and medical staff exchange programs can be established to train doctors and medical staff in Pakistan. China has 102 surgical robots in 84 hospitals, plus advanced laparoscopic surgery machines.
Pakistani doctors and surgeons could learn advanced medical and surgical skills especially in the field of robotic and laparoscopic surgery.
The concept of CPMA was put forward in 2018. There has been a dire need of a platform to link Chinese and Pakistan healthcare system and to highlight the deficiencies in the medical Education system and to promote the cooperation in Medical Education, Research, Training, Exchange programs & establishing a multidisciplinary links between China and Pakistan.
Journal of China-Pakistan Medical Association is also an excellent initiative launched by CPMA to enhance medical education and research innovation and provide a platform for medical students and professional to publish their research work.
Pakistan Medical Commission, Pakistan Medical Association and College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan, King Edward Medical University & University of Health Sciences can cooperate with institutes to start medical and surgical training programs.
Pakistani Ambassador to China H.E Mr. Moin ul Haque, in a message, congratulated the CPMA President and all the team of CPMA for the excellent initiative and pledged Pakistan Embassy’s support for CPMA to further strengthen the ties in healthcare field and promote China-Pakistan Friendship.
The year 2021, marks the 70th anniversary of China Pakistan diplomatic relations China Pakistan Health Corridor is vital for the prosperity and healthy cooperation.
CPMA will provide a platform for Pakistani Medical students, doctors, researchers and allied medical professionals to achieve excellence in the field and communicate internationally with Medical Institutes, Hospitals, Nursing & Paramedical , Research & Training Centres, IT, R & D, and Government Institutions.
Pakistani hospitals can be digitalized. Big Data centres can be established in top hospitals, tracking and keeping record of patients will be easy in this way. Telemedicine joint sessions can be held frequently”.
Pakistan and China medical institutions have started cooperation and a number of MoUs have been signed between the medical institutions of both the countries.
6th Academic Forum on China-Pakistan Scientific, Technical and Economic Cooperation held
http://en.ce.cn/Insight/202111/28/t20211128_37121821.shtml
“This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Pak-China diplomatic ties and there has been a renewed focus on cooperation in the fields of higher education and science and technology. Realizing the importance of higher education, science and technology, and innovation, both countries had taken great initiatives or cooperation in these fields," Mr. Moin ul Haque, Pakistani Ambassador to China highlighted on the 6th Academic Forum on China-Pakistan Scientific, Technical and Economic Cooperation under the “Belt and Road” Initiative held on Saturday.
In 1976, Pakistan and China signed an agreement on scientific and technical cooperation and so far under this agreement, 18 protocols of bilateral scientific and technological corporations have been implemented. Now both sides are working on formulating the 19th protocol. The ambassador explained that the 19th protocol would focus on emerging technologies in the areas of smart agriculture, nanotechnology, environmental protection, energy conservation, and storage system design.
As CPEC moves to industrialization and high-quality development, China-Pakistan cooperation in the fields of higher education and science and technology assumes greater importance and will have a new dimension. The Ambassador suggested both countries intensify institutional linkages between academic and research institutions to do focus research and provide guidance to industries businessmen on engaging and emerging trends in technologies.
Mr. Xie Guoxiang, Minister Counselor, Embassy of China in Pakistan underlined that scientific, technological, and economic cooperation and exchanges are an important part of omni-directional, multi-field and in-depth exchanges and cooperation between China and Pakistan. The intergovernmental scientific and technological cooperation mechanisms including CPEC JWG on science and technology have guided the direction and gathered strength for deepening cooperation in scientific and technological innovation between the two countries.
Mr. Xie Guoxiang further maintained that "China will do its best to firmly support Pakistan to embark on a development path in line with its national conditions and firmly support Pakistan's grand vision of realizing a 'new Pakistan'."
Dr. Talat Shabbir, China-Pakistan Study Centre (CPSC), Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad (ISSI), and Dr. Di Yuna, Dr. Di Yuna, Executive Director of BTBU PSC, signed the memorandum of academic cooperation on behalf of both sides.
Mr. Wang Zihai, Honorary Investment Counselor of Pakistan, President of Pakistan China Chamber of Commerce and Industry, mentioned that CPEC is not only the game changer for Pakistan but also a major project to change the regional situation. Mutual benefit and win-win results can be achieved by actively attracting other SCO member states to participate in CPEC construction.
As part of the forum, BRI Youth Forum has received a total of 45 contributions from postgraduates from 24 universities/institutions. Excellent papers are selected by the evaluation experts, and 15 students are approved to give speeches at the forum.
The forum was guided by the Department of International Cooperation, China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), Beijing Association for Science and Technology (BAST), Embassy of China in Pakistan, Embassy of Pakistan Beijing, and jointly organized by Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU), Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) and ECO Science Foundation (ECOSF).
6th Academic Forum on China-Pak Scitech and Economic Cooperation held
BY ACADEMIA MAGAZINE DECEMBER 17, 2021
https://academiamag.com/6th-academic-forum-on-china-pak-scitech-and-economic-cooperation-held/
The 6th Academic Forum on China-Pakistan Scientific, Technical and Economic Cooperation under the “Belt and Road” Initiative with the theme of Inheriting China-Pakistan Friendship and Joining Hands to Create the Future was held online and offline, with more than 200 Chinese and Pakistani experts and scholars participated in it.
Department of International Cooperation, China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), Beijing Association for Science and Technology (BAST), Embassy of China in Pakistan, Embassy of Pakistan Beijing, the Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU) jointly organized the forum.
“This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Pakistan-China diplomatic ties and there has been a renewed focus on cooperation in the fields of higher education and science and technology, Moin ul Haque, Pakistan Ambassador to China highlighted.
The BTBU organizes international forums, trainings and exchanges through two platforms of the “Belt and Road” Joint Training Center jointly established by the Pakistan Study Center of Science and Technology and Economy and the international science and technology organization in Pakistan-the ECO Science Foundation (ECOSF), CEN reported.
Dr. Talat Shabbir, China-Pakistan Study Centre (CPSC), Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad (ISSI), and Dr. Di Yuna, Executive Director of BTBU PSC, signed the memorandum of academic cooperation on behalf of both sides.
Dr. Shabbir emphasized that the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has promoted the exchanges and cooperation between the two peoples and improved the economic and living standards of Pakistan.
The signing of the agreement is of great significance. He looks forward to in-depth cooperation with BTBU in the future.
Dr. Di introduced the exchanges and trainings carried out by the Pakistan Study Center of Science & Technology and Economy of BTBU in the past six years, and expressed sincere gratitude to the Chinese and Pakistani partners for their continuous support.
Wang Qinglin, Vice Minister of the International Cooperation Department of the China Association for Science and Technology, noted that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The cooperation between the two parties in the field of science and technology has been further strengthened.
Xie Guoxiang, Minister Counselor, Embassy of China in Pakistan underlined in his speech that the Joint Committee of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor established a joint working group on science and technology last year, and this year it added a joint working group on information technology.
Besides, Pakistani scientists have also been commended by the Chinese government one after another. Dr. Manzoor Hussain Soomro, President of ECO Science Foundation, received the 2020 Chinese Government Friendship Award.
Beijing Science and Technology International Exchange Center, China Study Centre at COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan Science and Technology Information Center, School of International Economics and Management, School of Economics, School of Foreign Languages, Office of International Exchange and Cooperation at BTBU, and representatives from Chinese and Pakistani governments, technology organizations, teacher, student, business and media agency representatives also attended the forum.
Chinese views of the world at the time of the Russia-Ukraine war Evidence from a March 2022 public opinion survey
https://ceias.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/CN-poll-report-final_may11.pdf
The Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS) is an independent think tank based in Bratislava (Slovakia), and with branches in Olomouc (Czech Republic), and Vienna (Austria).
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Russia turned out to be the most positively perceived country by the Chinese respondents (see Figure 1). Asked to rate their feelings toward 25 countries on a scale of 0-100, 79.8% of respondents said they viewed Russia in a positive light while only 12% held negative views. It seems clear, then, that Chinese positive attitudes towards Russia were not disturbed by the Russia-Ukraine war. Quite the opposite, as Figure 2 shows, almost 80% of respondents reported that their views of Russia had improved over the last three years.8 This finding is broadly consistent with past survey results between 2008 and 2015, which found only around 50% of Chinese respondents held positive views of Russia.
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The other very positively perceived countries among Chinese respondents were Pakistan (73%), Singapore (66%), North Korea (62%), and Germany (61%). In turn, other very negatively perceived countries included India (56%), Japan (54%), Vietnam (48%), South Korea (47%) and Ukraine (46%). 15 Few if any previously published polls have asked Chinese respondents their views of Ukraine, but prior to Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian opinion appears to have been far more positive towards China than the reverse
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The US was the most negatively viewed country in China with slightly more than 60% of respondents perceiving it negatively and 31% holding positive attitudes. India was the second-most poorly evaluated country, with nearly 58% negative views, followed by Japan with 55%. Figure 3 also suggests that perceptions of the US have significantly deteriorated recently: almost 60% of the Chinese respondents stated their perception of the US had worsened over the past three years. Interestingly, in the case of Japan, about the same proportion of respondents (36% in both cases) reported that their views had improved and worsened over the same time period
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Russia also appeared to be one of the most recommended countries for pursuing higher education among the Chinese, behind only China itself (83%), Singapore (56%), and the United Kingdom (55%). More than 52% of respondents recommended university study in Russia (see Figure 11), while India and South Korea were the least recommended countries for university studies, with 63% and 42% of respondents not recommending them respectively
China-Pakistan medical AI cooperation to boost chronic disease screening
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/07/08/china-pak-medical-ai-cooperation-to-boost-chronic-disease-screening/
Lately, at the first international “Medical Conference and Exhibition for Next Generation Healthcare” held in Islamabad, Chinese medical AI leader Airdoc Technology and Pakistan’s well-known medical device import and distribution company Dynamic Medical Company (DMC) officially signed a cooperation agreement to work together to promote the application of Airdoc retinal imaging AI products in Pakistan.
Special Technology Zones Authority Chairman Amer Hashmi, ex-Surgeon General of Pak Army, Lt-Gen (r) Asif Mumtaz Sukhera, Health Services Academy VC Prof Dr Shahzad Ali Khan, former Ambassador to China Ms Naghmana A Hashmi, Advisor to GoP on Health Dr Ghazna Khalid, and numerous other professionals from public health sector attended the conference.
One of the major objectives of this conference was sensitizing the participants, the general public and the government to hereditary or genetic disorders, its timely diagnosis and available treatments.
In his speech HAS VC Dr Khan said that Pakistan is ranked among the countries having high alert of genetic disorders, adding that majorly the increased incidence and prevalence of the genetic disorders are associated with lack of pre-natal testing facilities in the country.
“Faced with the increasingly serious disease burden in Pakistan, advanced medical technology is an inevitable solution at present.” Experts such as Ms Hashmi, former Pakistani ambassador to China, agreed that pre-marital testing and counseling in Pakistan’s health care system will effectively relieve the heavy burden of genetic diseases through technological intervention.
Initiating research evidence-based interventions for genetic diseases in Pakistan will open another dimension of trade i.e. Pak-China Health Corridor.
At the meeting, Yang Yaquan, representative of Airdoc’s overseas business department, gave a keynote speech on “Artificial Intelligence Solutions for Early Screening of Chronic Diseases”, introducing that a series of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary heart disease has a genetic predisposition.
The retina is the only part of the human body that can directly observe blood vessels and nerves non-invasively, thus by observing the subtle changes of blood vessels and nerves on the retina, people can glimpse the clues of more than 200 common chronic diseases.
The application of AI technology has made this test, which has a solid medical theoretical foundation, more efficient and accessible, making large-scale early screening of chronic diseases possible.
The reporter learned that Airdoc will promote a portable fundus camera in Pakistan, which looks like a VR glasses, is very convenient to carry, and can be driven by ordinary power banks. After the user completes retinal photography according to the voice prompt, it only takes about 1 minute to receive an assessment report containing dozens of health risks.
The product has been applied to domestic and foreign medical, general health, eye health management and other scenarios, serving over 10 million users. If the product can be promoted to the medical and health system of Pakistan, it will be beneficial for the early prevention of local related diseases
It is worth mentioning that DMC in institutional collaboration with the Health Services Academy (HSA) and their Chinese partners plans to set up a Genetic Reference Laboratory and Research Center for genetic disorders in Islamabad.
CEO, DMC, Mr. Owais Mir mentioned during the closing remarks that this conference will create an enabling environment for all medical technology-based research and innovation in Pakistan and this is only the beginning. More awareness on mass level coupled with federal govt.’s support will bring plan to action in the form of genetic labs, DNA sequencing interventions, data mining and more.
Why us? #India’s tired, depressed, stranded #students desperate for #China return. The #Chinese has allowed small batches of students from other #Asian countries such as #Pakistan and #SriLanka to return but Indian students remain stranded. https://sc.mp/zq7x?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=share_widget&utm_campaign=3188289 via @scmpnews
Around 20,000 Indian students are enrolled in Chinese universities, with the vast majority studying medicine due to a similar curriculum
But they have been forced to study online due to the coronavirus, and despite assurances, they face an anxious wait to find out when they can return
Shahroz Khan was in his third year at Nantong University College of Medicine when the coronavirus pandemic first struck China and he decided to fly back to India.
Over the next two and half years, for complex, senior-level courses such as surgery, orthopaedics, and ophthalmology, online demonstrations replaced hands-on, practical learning in clinical laboratories and hospitals.
“Of course we feel this loss,” said 23-year-old Khan from Delhi. “We should have been there and we should have been able to gain this knowledge physically. That feeling will be there throughout our lives.”
Khan, though, continued to pay 1,700 yuan (US$252) per month in rent, having moved to Nantong in September 2017, hoping he would be allowed to return to China to resume his practical studies and be reunited with his belongings.
The owner had to just throw our things because we lost our hope to return
Shahroz Khan
But in March, with only three months left until the end of his fifth year and the start of his final year internship, he finally gave up the flat.
“The owner had to just throw our things because we lost our hope to return,” said Khan, who is the student coordinator for Indian Students in China and also the Foreign Medical Graduates Parents’ Association.
“Each semester we thought China might call us back, but the students have become tired and depressed.”
Around 20,000 Indian students are enrolled in Chinese universities, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs in May. The vast majority are studying medicine because of the similarity in curriculums between the two countries and the affordability of Chinese medical universities, compared to private Indian institutions.
The rest of the world has opened its borders to international students again, and while China has allowed small batches of students from other Asian countries such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka to return, Indian students remain stranded
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The financial burden of transferring to another foreign medical institute is almost the same as the financial burden of resuming studies in China again, she said.
Quarantine and flight costs could be as high as 4-5 lakh rupees (US$5,000-US$6,300), while Rachita Kurmi may also be asked by her university to pay for an additional year to allow her to catch up on clinical learning.
But despite the hurdles, students such as Rachita Kurmi and Ridhi, who still have at least three years left before they complete their degrees, continue to hope that they might be able to return soon.
“What we really want is for China to open up,” added Rachita Kurmi. “We were there for so long, it was almost like a second home.”
‘Chow Yun-fat of Pakistan’: Hong Kong ethnic minority boy, 10, tipped for stardom by iconic city actor Anthony Wong after film awards win
https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3217449/chow-yun-fat-pakistan-hong-kong-ethnic-minority-boy-10-tipped-stardom-iconic-city-actor-anthony-wong
Pakistan-born youngster, Sahal Zaman, was presented with Best New Performer Award by Oscar-winning actress, Michelle Yeoh
Veteran Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong says the 10-year-old has the potential to become the Chow Yun-fat of the country of his birth
Veteran Hong Kong movie star Anthony Wong Chau-sang has heaped praise on groundbreaking child actor Sahal Zaman who recently won the Best New Performer Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
Zaman, 10, is the first South Asian in Hong Kong cinema history to win the accolade, doing so for his leading performance alongside Wong in the film, The Sunny Side of the Street.
To top off his success, Zaman was presented with the award by Michelle Yeoh, who had just won Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once, and is the first Asian actress to win an Oscar.
Receiving the award, Zaman said he was delighted and hoped that Hong Kong audiences would go to cinemas to support his film.
Later, in an interview, he said that he wanted to eat pizza to celebrate and would continue working hard to take on more roles.
Previously, Zaman won the Best New Performer Award from the Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild.
The Sunny Side of the Street tells the story of Hassan, a young Pakistani refugee, and a taxi driver played by iconic Hong Kong actor, Wong.
When Hassan’s father is killed in a car accident, the driver who had sneaked into Hong Kong in the 1970s befriends the boy.
In 2022, Wong won Best Leading Actor at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards for his role in the film.
At the time, he brought Zaman on stage with him, where Zaman broke down in tears.
In an interview after that, Wong tipped Zaman to become “Pakistan’s Chow Yun-fat”. Chow is one of Hong Kong’s most famous actors ever.
Zaman said he planned to bring Wong on stage with him if he won at the Hong Kong Film Awards, but when he gestured to Wong as he headed to the stage Wong said: “No need to bring me. You go on stage by yourself.”
Born in Pakistan, Zaman settled in Hong Kong with his father before starting primary school.
In an interview with Hong Kong newspaper AM730, the Malaysian director of The Sunny Side of the Street, Lau Kok Rui, said that in preparation for the film, the cast went around primary schools and ethnic minority centres across the city looking for children who could speak both Cantonese and Urdu and selected 12 candidates from about 200 children.
After auditioning and acting training, the cast eventually chose Zaman.
“He has a great personality, knows how to communicate with everyone and is not afraid of adults and does not hide away. He had no stage fright when we started filming and quickly integrated into the cast,” said Lau.
Zaman is in Primary Five and lives in the Kwai Chung district of the city’s New Territories.
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