Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan was eager to take advantage of Chinese expertise to adopt “effective preventative measures and strategies” to better tackle natural accidents during a visit to the National Earthquake Simulation Center at Tianjin University on Sunday.
The Prime Minister paid tribute to China’s use of advanced technologies in disaster management and said that such methods “will prove to be extremely advantageous for Pakistan to deal with natural disasters”.
Existing initiatives in Pakistan, including the International Medical Center and China-Pakistan Joint Lab, should be done more effectively, he emphasized as he called for a bilateral cooperation in disaster preparedness.
Shehbaz approached the ongoing flooding situation in Pakistan and noted that nationwide relief operations were underway to support affected families.
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Additional convoys that carry help had been sent to Narowal, Sialkot, Wazirabad, Hafizabad, Chiniot and Jhang, who would be handed over to Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) for distribution, he said.
When instructing the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to remain in close coordination with the Punjab government, the Prime Minister assured that “emergency relief operations for flooded families will continue.”
During the visit, he was informed of disaster management technologies, including newly developed medical rescue vehicles, when he was informed that several joint projects are in operation under the Belt and Road Initiative, such as China-Pakistan Joint Lab for Disaster and Emergency Medicine, International Medical Cooperation Center and China-Pakistan Friendan Hospital.
This is the first visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz in China since the Pakistan India War in May following the Pahagam attack.
Pakistan came out victorious as it shot down at least 6 Indian fighter jets, including the highly advanced French -made Rafale.
It was the first time the Chinese military hardware was tested on a real battlefield against Western technology.
China’s profile in terms of military technology has increased by some notches as Western commentators admitted that Beijing is not on par with other Western countries in terms of defense equipment.
