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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Planning Ministry and China’s Development Research Center (DRC) have reached an agreement for joint research, training programs and expert exchanges in the field of economy, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday. 

The understanding was reached during a meeting between Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and President of China’s Development Research Center and Center for International Knowledge on Development, Lu Hao, in Beijing on Sunday.

Beijing has invested tens of billions of dollars in energy, infrastructure and other projects in Pakistan as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and has repeatedly rolled over sovereign loans to Pakistan in order to help Islamabad meet its external financing needs.

In his meeting with top Chinese officials in Beijing, Iqbal expressed Islamabad’s keen interest in learning from China’s achievements in economy and other fields, the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.

“China’s scientific planning is a beacon of long-term and sustainable economic development,” Iqbal was quoted as saying by the broadcaster. “Pakistan is keen to learn from China’s achievements in economy and reforms.”

The DRC, a key policy research and consulting institution directly under the Chinese central government, focuses on comprehensive, long-term and strategic issues, and plays a significant role in advising the government on policy formulation, particularly regarding China’s economic and social development.

In his meeting with the DRC president, the planning minister said that Pakistan wanted to promote trade and exports with China, according to Radio Pakistan. Lu expressed confidence in Pakistan’s strategy to become an export-oriented economy.

Besides economy, China and Pakistan have also been longtime defense partners.

Islamabad this year said its Chinese-supplied jets had shot down six Indian aircraft, including three French-made Rafale fighters, in the four-day military standoff between Pakistan and India in May, drawing interest for analysts and governments alike.

While India has admitted losses, but it has not specified the number of aircraft lost to Pakistan, with some observers seeing this as a symbol of Beijing’s rising military might.

Pakistan accounts for around 63 percent of China’s arms exports, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

In the recent fighting, Pakistan used the J10-C Vigorous Dragon and JF-17 Thunder planes, armed with air-to-air missiles. Islamabad’s air defenses also used Chinese kit — including the HQ-9P long-range surface-to-air missile system — and deployed Chinese radar as well as armed and reconnaissance drones.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will dispatch on Monday 100 tons of humanitarian aid supplies for Palestine, the authority said.

The development came days after Israel’s military said it will open humanitarian corridors to allow aid convoys into the Gaza Strip, following an international outcry stoked by images of malnourished children in a deepening hunger crisis

Nearly 1,400 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip while waiting for aid since May 27, the majority by the Israeli army, the United Nations said on Friday. The Israeli army denies any targeting, insisting it only fires “warning shots” when people approach too close to its positions.

The NDMA said a dedicated relief flight carrying 65 tons of canned food, 20 tons of dry and infant milk, 5 tons of biscuits and 10 tons of medicines will depart from Islamabad as part of Pakistan’s continued support for the Palestinian people in their time of dire need.

“The consignment, organized under the patronage of the Government of Pakistan and led by NDMA, is part of a broader 200-ton humanitarian relief operation being executed through two chartered flights,” the NDMA said.

International organizations have for months condemned the restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on aid distribution in Gaza, including refusing to issue border crossing permits, slow customs clearance, limited access points, and imposing dangerous routes.

Speaking to media on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan’s total humanitarian aid dispatched to Gaza has now reached 17 consignments, amounting to 1,715 tons.

“With the second flight scheduled in the coming days, this total will rise to 1,815 tons,” he said, adding that Pakistan will expand its relief operations as the situation evolves.

Pakistan, which does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, has consistently condemned Israeli military actions and called for the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Palestinian territory.

The South Asian country last month used its presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to refocus global attention on the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

“Pakistan remains resolute in its moral, political, and humanitarian support for the people of Gaza,” the NDMA said.