Pakistan joins China to build research station on moon
China National Space Administration says co-operation would cover areas including the engineering and operational aspects of the Chinese lunar base programme
Pakistan has joined China’s expanding club of partners in an ambitious project to build a research station on the moon’s south pole.
Jointly with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-haq Kakar witnessed the signing of an initial co-operation agreement in Beijing.
The China National Space Administration said on Friday co-operation would cover areas including the engineering and operational aspects of the Chinese lunar base programme.
China, which aims to become a major space power by 2030, has already secured co-operation from Russia, Venezuela and South Africa.
It has fixed a target to land its astronauts on the moon by the end of this decade.
The timeline to build an outpost on the south pole coincides with Nasa’s more ambitious Artemis programme, which aims to put US astronauts back on the lunar surface in December 2025, barring delays.
Meanwhile, the Khunjerab Pass, a major land trade route between Pakistan and China, will be converted to an all-weather border, Kakar said at an event at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Friday.
China is a major ally and investor in Pakistan. The two countries collaborate on the Chinapakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, with more than $65 billion pledged for road, rail, and other infrastructure developments in the South Asian nation.
“As per the consensus reached in Beijing during my visit, our land border at Khunjerab Sost will be converted into an all-weather model,” Kakar said.
He added that they would like to upgrade customs and other logistic services to facilitate trade and movement of people.
The pass connects Gilgit-baltistan with China’s Xinjiang region and was reopened ater closing for almost three years in April 2023.
The land border was closed in 2020 ater the outbreak of COVID-19.
Khunjerab Pass, the highest paved international border at more than 4,600 metres above sea level, is closed during winter months because of harsh weather.
Also, Kakar offered Friday prayers in China’s Xinjiang province.
Kakar travelled to China to take part in a summit hosted by President Xi Jinping in Beijing this week to celebrate his Belt and Road Initiative, a vast trade and infrastructure project.
On Friday, he offered prayers at the main mosque in the city of Urumqi, the capital of the northwestern region, and addressed a gathering of students and scholars.
He “lauded the strategic significance of Xinjiang as a frontier of the China-pakistan Economic Corridor,” said a statement from his office.
Addressing the gathering of notable scholars, researchers, academics, faculty members and students, the prime minister underscored that his visit to Xinjiang represented a milestone in the enduring relationship between Pakistan and China.
He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening Pakistan-china All Weather Strategic Co-operative Partnership for mutual peace, prosperity and development.
Highlighting the significance of educational linkages and the critical role of students in taking forward the relations between countries and peoples, the prime minister expressed high hopes in the youth of Pakistan and China to act as a bridge of friendship and brotherhood in the years to come.
The prime minister also visited the History Museum of Xinjiang University where he was briefed with regard to the history of the 99-yearold Xinjiang University.
Since its initiation in 2013, the China-pakistan Economic Corridor has seen tens of billions of dollars funnelled into massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects — including plans for a railroad from Xinjiang to the Pakistan coast.
“Pakistan has consistently adhered to a policy of non-interference in China’s internal affairs and has lent its support to China in achieving its foreign policy objectives,” Imtiaz Gul, analyst and executive director for the Centre for Research and Security Studies in Pakistan.
“Any concerns related to human rights, such as the situation of the Uyghur population, are considered the internal affairs of Beijing.”