As I disembarked from the plane on a Sunday morning (03 November 2024) and entered Beijing Daxing International Airport, I had an ambivalent feeling of a tinge of trepidation and a heartwarming elation. It was in 2010 when I last visited China, and I was thrilled to be on Chinese soil again. The uneasiness was that just a month ago, near the Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, desperadoes had attacked and targeted the Chinese staff of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company. Two Chinese died and a third was injured while seven Pakistanis were injured. I was having this anxiety that the immigration officer and others would be uncooperative, with scorn written all over their faces. I had this feeling that my joy on being in China would be short-lived and much more negative sentiments would be expressed.
How wrong I was. There was a welcome look on the officer’s face, and within no time, I was on way to the baggage carousel. My three colleagues (ex-PML MNA from Sheikhupura, Animal Husbandry Commissioner from Federal Ministry of National Food Security & Research, and Vice Chancellor of Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Bahawalpur, alongwith the energetic, dynamic, go-getter Andy Liao of Han Gen Group who manages an industry in Gwadar), quickly picked up our luggage and ran downstairs to catch two trains and then the high-speed (375 kmh) to Jinan Station in Shandong Province. The first pro-Pakistan reception we witnessed when the uniformed persons let us pass without checking our passports.
As soon as we stepped out of the train, there was a welcoming party of about a dozen people, led by the Chairman of Han Geng Group. Fabulous bouquets were presented and many photos clicked (we are still waiting for these). The scene was reminiscent of two long-lost families meeting after decades. Then came the long ride on a coaster to Dong’e County in Liaocheng City. We were guests of China Resources Group which is among the top 70 companies in the world, having revenue exceeding $126 billion, assets of $370 billion, nearly 400,000 employees, and ranked 23rd in the 2024 Fortune China 500. CRG is very powerful in Dong’e, and it seemed liked they owned everything. We checked into the 78 Hotel (yes, owned by CRG) and went to the Conference venue where we had a private session with Mr Chen Ping, the Deputy Governor of Shandong Province. He, alongwith a dozen high officials welcomed us and we had a 40 minutes session with them. In fact, among the delegates from twenty countries, only Pakistani delegation were accorded this honor. The very humble, smiling, and affable Governor was keen to develop a communication and cooperation mechanism between Shandong and Pakistan and highlighted trade and investment opportunities. He informed that the Chinese Agriculture university is keen to establish cooperation between agro-based industries of both countries. I presented an Ajrak to him and he gifted a painting to me.
There was a grand pre-conference dinner attended by the delegates. I was pleased when Mr Wang Xiangming, Chairman of CRG, located me and we exchanged pleasantries. He invited me to visit Hong Kong two weeks later for a Conference and discuss business opportunities with CRG. I went around the front tables and met some of the high officials who we had earlier met in the meeting with Mr Ping, The delegation from Benin, Africa was the largest and I had a long meeting with them, primarily centered around imports of soyabean from Benin. We also had an exclusive meeting with Mr Lu Bo, Director of Shandong Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau and his team. We discussed among other subjects, aqua culture, and research cooperation on vaccines and immunization of animals.
The Conference next day was dazzling. Name cards were placed in the first three rows and the program went smoothly. We had all come to attend the 9th International Donkey Industry Development Conference, in a city famous for donkey and Ejiao (gelatine from donkey hides). Pakistan is the largest exporter of donkeys to China for the past ten years and hence this group of ours (business, academia, political, and government) was present to hear, see, and learn about the development of donkeys and understand the future of this industry for Pakistan. The theme of the Conference was “Advancing the Donkey Industry for a Win-Win Future”, and this is, and should be, the guideline for Pakistan donkey industry too.
The foreign delegates also visited the Dong’e Ejiao (DEEJ) Donkey Farm and Museum inside the Farm. Mostly breeding of black donkeys was done there. I saw one donkey that was as tall as a horse and even looked like a horse. We saw donkey meat, donkey milk, and even something like a black toffee that had sesame in it too. They even had a modern lab for donkey semen etc, The Donkey Museum had everything to do with donkeys including its history and role in the world. We then went to another Museum that was so large that it just did not seem to end. The history of China was marvelously presented there. It was an educational trip for me. Henry Kissinger once remarked that “China has had a long and complex history and has managed to evolve its own culture for 4,000 years. It is therefore not necessarily true that we know exactly what is best for the internal structure of China.”
During the two day Conference, many Chinese, mostly youth, would come up to me and request a selfie or picture. Although I was probably the only foreign businessperson there, and I was sure they did not know my field, I kept getting requests. The Chinese escort girl finally revealed that most of them thought I was some Governor or Chief Minister from Pakistan and that they were itching for a photo-op with me. Even if they were in a group, each wanted an individual photo with me. I wished I had taken their number and could have requested them to forward the photos to me. During the group photo of all delegates, the Pakistani team was requested to stand in the front row in the middle. Another moment of respect.
What was really interesting was that wherever we went, and where passports and ID cards were to be presented at checking points, they would not check our passports when they found out we were from Pakistan. At the Jinan Railway Station, where we to take the fast train to Beijing, we were sitting in the lounge of one of the Banks. When the call was announced, two girls from the Banks took our luggage and dragged it to the platform. This was something new for me. We were not customers of the Bank, but they were giving Pakistan the honor. Unbelievable.
I also went to visit the Ministry of Industries and Information Technology in Beijing, where eight businesspersons (including one lady from a big law firm that had over 5,000 lawyers on its rolls) were present. Each of them either gave a power point presentation or verbally introduced their company. I presented my point of view with a request to the senior government official to convey my wish list to relevant authorities. This was a very productive four-hour meeting, and I learnt a lot about their companies. The possibility of working with some of them is very much on the cards.
During the morning before our departure for home, we made a short tour of the Forbidden City. Here too, our passports were not checked or scanned. Many thousands of Chinese citizens as well as foreigners were sightseeing inside the Forbidden City. Here too, six or seven Chinese wanted a picture with me. One thing odd I saw. Among the thousands, less than twenty women, plus me, were wearing sunglasses. No one else. It seems their eyesight is superb, maybe thanks to donkey milk. All in all, a spectacular trip. While we were in China, we received another tragic news. A guard at a textile plant in SITE Karachi (less than a kilometer from my factory) shot two Chinese inside the plant. Fortunately, they survived. Surprisingly, no one mentioned this tragic event to us. My trepidation had vanished by the time I entered the plane, but my elation had quadrupled. Chinese look towards the future, and they know who their friends are. As Confucius said: “Within the four seas, all men are brothers”.
