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Maj Wajiha Arshad pens down her experience as a participant of Fifth Pak-China Young Officers Seminar held in Shijiazhuang, China.
Majestically, the sparkling snowflakes fell delicately from the white cloudy skies on our cold faces to welcome us in Beijing. Falling snow looked like tiny angels making the sky glow in the dull mist, indescribably. The world-class Beijing airport is comparable to any airport in the U.S. or Europe and it was perhaps the first indicator of China’s remarkable economic success and rapid modernization. The weather change was yet to be assimilated when we started off with the chase of the ‘flag lady’, our transport-manager-cum-guide with a flag stick in hand, leading us to the high speed train platform with the fear of missing it. It brought back memories of the assault course during PMA training and added to the overall thrill.
As the famous Chinese saying goes:
“It is better to travel ten thousand miles than to read ten thousand books.”
I was part of a group of thirty officers from Pakistan Armed Forces travelling to Shijiazhuang, China on a seven day visit to participate in “Fifth Pak-China Young Military Officers Seminar”. The real taste of companionship during our seven day visit which incised enduring impressions and first hand familiarity, was as per the Chinese saying, better learning than reading books on Pak-China bilateral relations.
The conduct of the seminar every year started in 2012 and this was the fifth consecutive annual session arranged at Shijiazhuang Mechanized Infantry Academy, the only mechanized infantry commanding academy of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). Shijiazhuang is headquarters of the 27th Group Army of the People's Liberation Army, one of the three Group Armies that comprises the Beijing Military Region responsible for defending China's capital.
The city is the capital and the largest city of North China's Hebei Province, about 263 kms southwest of Beijing. We were introduced to our Laison Officer (LO), Major Liana, who remained a focal point of reference throughout the visit for all administrative and seminar related matters assisted by Capt Sarah. Interestingly, it was revealed that a majority in China these days have English names along with their traditional Chinese names. Since their native names are quiet difficult to pronounce, we easily called the attached Chinese officers with their English names. After our introductory session with conducting Chinese officers at Beijing airport we had a fascinating journey enjoying the scenic beauty of nature pronounced by snowfall on a high speed train to Shijiazhuang where buses were waiting to take us to the Academy. International students from around fifty countries enjoy a diversified campus life at Shijiazhuang Mechanized Infantry Academy. The group members received a warm welcome there and felt at home.
The seminar started from the very first day with a warm banquet hosted by the head of the academy, Colonel Wang Jing and other faculty members at their foreign officers’ mess. Pakistani officers dressed up in the elegant and graceful respective uniforms of Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy, and Pakistan Air Force in company with their Chinese group members, presenting a mesmerizing aura of diversity in the mess. The lunch was followed by an inaugural and welcome address by the Commandant, who joyously described Pakistan as China’s ‘iron brother’ and made all at ease with his cheerful welcome. The seminar room was situated in the Foreign Officers’ block of classes where the participants from both countries met for the first time and stood for national anthems of both countries before the formal start of the first session. After the inaugural speech of Chinese and Pakistani heads of delegations, the first presentation was delivered on Pak-China relations by Liu Nan, Director for Policy on South Asia, the policy officer for China-ASEAN military cooperation. The most inspiring part of his lecture was the survival of an all-weather relationship and brotherhood between Pakistan and China in the present day neo-realistworld. It was followed by an interactive question and answers session and group photograph of participants at the end of the day.
We woke up the next day to a splendid view of snow covered trees and a temperature of -6o C, however, the warmth of hospitality kept us going and helped in catching up with the second day schedule. The day became more interesting with a campus tour that included the academy’s ecological waterfall. It is a marvellous piece of work that re-cycles water waste and runs the water down the waterfall after purification. Armoured equipment visit, followed by sniper course and shooting center visit were also part of our schedule. The shooting center is an enclosed structure with artificial lighting and ventilation. The training system adopts the live-image target scoring technology to conduct not only live firing in all-around, multi-angled, three-dimensional subjects but also laser simulation firing to meet the training requirements of infantry, special operations and counter-terrorist drills.
The later half of the day comprised of two lectures: one by Chinese naval officer Dr. Capt Zhao Yi on counter-terrorism; the speaker covered major terrorist organizations operating within inclusive and modern political systems, their modus operandi and techniques to counter-terrorism in an interconnected and globalized world. Second presentation was by Dr. Wang Xingu on improving U.S.-Russia counter-terrorism cooperation. The question and answer session brought participating officers from both groups closer in a fruitful, interactive and intellectual discussion.
A fascinating experience for many of us was seeing a Chinese officer warmly meet a Pakistani officer and share old memories of serving together on a UN Mission few years back.
The interaction between the two officers reminded us of the ‘all-weather’ term often used for Pak-China bilateral relationship that trickles down to people-to-people contact in true essence. With passing days we were well adapted to the atmosphere, weather and Chinese cuisine in particular, especially modified as per our taste. The experience of one-to-one interaction with Chinese officers bonded both the groups together firmly. A panel of four Pakistani military officers headed by Col Syed Hasnain Ahmed from Joint Staff Headquarters (JSHQ) delivered a presentation on counter-terrorism strategy and operations. The presentation highlighted Pakistan’s role as a frontline state against terrorism, military operations in FATA and synchronization of Pakistan Armed Forces to tackle the internal and external security threats.
The discussion won applause from the seminar participants as they praised the experiences shared by our panel and showed appreciation for Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts. Later that day we visited Shijiazhuang Junlebao Dairy Co., Ltd., that was established in 1995 and now after 21 years of development has nine production plants. Junlebao is the largest dairy enterprise in Hebei Province. Being the center for dairy trade, the city is headquarters of the Sanlu Group. Sanlu is Shijiazhuang's largest taxpayer being the largest formula seller. Richard McGregor, author of The Party: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers, had observed that Sanlu became "an invaluable asset for a city otherwise struggling to attract industry and investment on a par with China's premier metropolises." The day ended with a small trip to a shopping mall and a delicious dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel, Shijiazhuang.
Fourth day was the last day of the seminar at Shijiazhuang and the next three days were scheduled in Beijing. Group discussions of that day included eight officers from each side to exchanging views and answering each other’s questions on matters relating from training to the decision-making level. Each Chinese panel included four instructors and four post-graduate student officers with their subjects varying from military command to military equipment. The group discussion was followed by a closing speech by both the delegations’ heads declaring the seminar closed as rest of the days to follow included visits. We travelled to Beijing the same day; a four hour drive took us from an industrial city to the modern gateway of China with sky scrapers and the hustle and bustle of city life which demonstrated the energetic strength of Chinese culture.
The official visits included a visit to 3rd Guard Division where a splendid demonstration of anti-terrorism squad was held that integrated short and long range shooting of static and moving targets, mechanized infantry, tanks, self-propelled artillery and anti-aircraft artillery.
Recreational tours of Beijing kept everyone charged with high spirits for last three days of the visit; highlights were the Chaoyang Acrobatic Theatre the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Performed by highly-trained Chinese acrobats, the acrobatic show is indeed a thrill to watch. The motorbike globe stunt made our hair stand on ends. This highly dangerous stunt involved six motorcyclists cycling inside a transparent globe that was about 18 meters high. Walking across the ancient stones in the square, crossing the Golden River on the arched, carved, marble bridges and walking up the Imperial Staircase to the Dragon Throne, Forbidden City is a thrill no words can describe. Tiananmen Square, the front yard of the Forbidden City, is a Chinese name for "Gate of Heavenly Peace"; self explanatory with the political history attached to it. The Great Wall, presents a spectacular view and one is compelled to look at the tower windows and wonder about the ancient soldiers who watched for the Mongolian enemy from their lofty stone perch. Social interaction with locals revealed to me the shy, yet hospitable and gracious behavior of Chinese people. The short tour of the most visited tourist attractions of Beijing left us mesmerized by the history of China that we had only read in books and remotely pictured traveling through.
I would never have understood, if not given the opportunity to be a part of this memorable visit, how a few days spent with true friends leave behind lifelong memories. The seven days of professional and personal experience made us travel through 65 years of Pakistan-China friendship and diplomatic relations which are constantly moving on an ascending trajectory and gaining strength with the passage of time.
www.hilal.gov.pk
MAJ WAJIHA ARSHAD
Majestically, the sparkling snowflakes fell delicately from the white cloudy skies on our cold faces to welcome us in Beijing. Falling snow looked like tiny angels making the sky glow in the dull mist, indescribably. The world-class Beijing airport is comparable to any airport in the U.S. or Europe and it was perhaps the first indicator of China’s remarkable economic success and rapid modernization. The weather change was yet to be assimilated when we started off with the chase of the ‘flag lady’, our transport-manager-cum-guide with a flag stick in hand, leading us to the high speed train platform with the fear of missing it. It brought back memories of the assault course during PMA training and added to the overall thrill.
As the famous Chinese saying goes:
“It is better to travel ten thousand miles than to read ten thousand books.”
I was part of a group of thirty officers from Pakistan Armed Forces travelling to Shijiazhuang, China on a seven day visit to participate in “Fifth Pak-China Young Military Officers Seminar”. The real taste of companionship during our seven day visit which incised enduring impressions and first hand familiarity, was as per the Chinese saying, better learning than reading books on Pak-China bilateral relations.
The conduct of the seminar every year started in 2012 and this was the fifth consecutive annual session arranged at Shijiazhuang Mechanized Infantry Academy, the only mechanized infantry commanding academy of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). Shijiazhuang is headquarters of the 27th Group Army of the People's Liberation Army, one of the three Group Armies that comprises the Beijing Military Region responsible for defending China's capital.
The city is the capital and the largest city of North China's Hebei Province, about 263 kms southwest of Beijing. We were introduced to our Laison Officer (LO), Major Liana, who remained a focal point of reference throughout the visit for all administrative and seminar related matters assisted by Capt Sarah. Interestingly, it was revealed that a majority in China these days have English names along with their traditional Chinese names. Since their native names are quiet difficult to pronounce, we easily called the attached Chinese officers with their English names. After our introductory session with conducting Chinese officers at Beijing airport we had a fascinating journey enjoying the scenic beauty of nature pronounced by snowfall on a high speed train to Shijiazhuang where buses were waiting to take us to the Academy. International students from around fifty countries enjoy a diversified campus life at Shijiazhuang Mechanized Infantry Academy. The group members received a warm welcome there and felt at home.
The seminar started from the very first day with a warm banquet hosted by the head of the academy, Colonel Wang Jing and other faculty members at their foreign officers’ mess. Pakistani officers dressed up in the elegant and graceful respective uniforms of Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy, and Pakistan Air Force in company with their Chinese group members, presenting a mesmerizing aura of diversity in the mess. The lunch was followed by an inaugural and welcome address by the Commandant, who joyously described Pakistan as China’s ‘iron brother’ and made all at ease with his cheerful welcome. The seminar room was situated in the Foreign Officers’ block of classes where the participants from both countries met for the first time and stood for national anthems of both countries before the formal start of the first session. After the inaugural speech of Chinese and Pakistani heads of delegations, the first presentation was delivered on Pak-China relations by Liu Nan, Director for Policy on South Asia, the policy officer for China-ASEAN military cooperation. The most inspiring part of his lecture was the survival of an all-weather relationship and brotherhood between Pakistan and China in the present day neo-realistworld. It was followed by an interactive question and answers session and group photograph of participants at the end of the day.
We woke up the next day to a splendid view of snow covered trees and a temperature of -6o C, however, the warmth of hospitality kept us going and helped in catching up with the second day schedule. The day became more interesting with a campus tour that included the academy’s ecological waterfall. It is a marvellous piece of work that re-cycles water waste and runs the water down the waterfall after purification. Armoured equipment visit, followed by sniper course and shooting center visit were also part of our schedule. The shooting center is an enclosed structure with artificial lighting and ventilation. The training system adopts the live-image target scoring technology to conduct not only live firing in all-around, multi-angled, three-dimensional subjects but also laser simulation firing to meet the training requirements of infantry, special operations and counter-terrorist drills.
The later half of the day comprised of two lectures: one by Chinese naval officer Dr. Capt Zhao Yi on counter-terrorism; the speaker covered major terrorist organizations operating within inclusive and modern political systems, their modus operandi and techniques to counter-terrorism in an interconnected and globalized world. Second presentation was by Dr. Wang Xingu on improving U.S.-Russia counter-terrorism cooperation. The question and answer session brought participating officers from both groups closer in a fruitful, interactive and intellectual discussion.
A fascinating experience for many of us was seeing a Chinese officer warmly meet a Pakistani officer and share old memories of serving together on a UN Mission few years back.
The interaction between the two officers reminded us of the ‘all-weather’ term often used for Pak-China bilateral relationship that trickles down to people-to-people contact in true essence. With passing days we were well adapted to the atmosphere, weather and Chinese cuisine in particular, especially modified as per our taste. The experience of one-to-one interaction with Chinese officers bonded both the groups together firmly. A panel of four Pakistani military officers headed by Col Syed Hasnain Ahmed from Joint Staff Headquarters (JSHQ) delivered a presentation on counter-terrorism strategy and operations. The presentation highlighted Pakistan’s role as a frontline state against terrorism, military operations in FATA and synchronization of Pakistan Armed Forces to tackle the internal and external security threats.
The discussion won applause from the seminar participants as they praised the experiences shared by our panel and showed appreciation for Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts. Later that day we visited Shijiazhuang Junlebao Dairy Co., Ltd., that was established in 1995 and now after 21 years of development has nine production plants. Junlebao is the largest dairy enterprise in Hebei Province. Being the center for dairy trade, the city is headquarters of the Sanlu Group. Sanlu is Shijiazhuang's largest taxpayer being the largest formula seller. Richard McGregor, author of The Party: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers, had observed that Sanlu became "an invaluable asset for a city otherwise struggling to attract industry and investment on a par with China's premier metropolises." The day ended with a small trip to a shopping mall and a delicious dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel, Shijiazhuang.
Fourth day was the last day of the seminar at Shijiazhuang and the next three days were scheduled in Beijing. Group discussions of that day included eight officers from each side to exchanging views and answering each other’s questions on matters relating from training to the decision-making level. Each Chinese panel included four instructors and four post-graduate student officers with their subjects varying from military command to military equipment. The group discussion was followed by a closing speech by both the delegations’ heads declaring the seminar closed as rest of the days to follow included visits. We travelled to Beijing the same day; a four hour drive took us from an industrial city to the modern gateway of China with sky scrapers and the hustle and bustle of city life which demonstrated the energetic strength of Chinese culture.
The official visits included a visit to 3rd Guard Division where a splendid demonstration of anti-terrorism squad was held that integrated short and long range shooting of static and moving targets, mechanized infantry, tanks, self-propelled artillery and anti-aircraft artillery.
Recreational tours of Beijing kept everyone charged with high spirits for last three days of the visit; highlights were the Chaoyang Acrobatic Theatre the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Performed by highly-trained Chinese acrobats, the acrobatic show is indeed a thrill to watch. The motorbike globe stunt made our hair stand on ends. This highly dangerous stunt involved six motorcyclists cycling inside a transparent globe that was about 18 meters high. Walking across the ancient stones in the square, crossing the Golden River on the arched, carved, marble bridges and walking up the Imperial Staircase to the Dragon Throne, Forbidden City is a thrill no words can describe. Tiananmen Square, the front yard of the Forbidden City, is a Chinese name for "Gate of Heavenly Peace"; self explanatory with the political history attached to it. The Great Wall, presents a spectacular view and one is compelled to look at the tower windows and wonder about the ancient soldiers who watched for the Mongolian enemy from their lofty stone perch. Social interaction with locals revealed to me the shy, yet hospitable and gracious behavior of Chinese people. The short tour of the most visited tourist attractions of Beijing left us mesmerized by the history of China that we had only read in books and remotely pictured traveling through.
I would never have understood, if not given the opportunity to be a part of this memorable visit, how a few days spent with true friends leave behind lifelong memories. The seven days of professional and personal experience made us travel through 65 years of Pakistan-China friendship and diplomatic relations which are constantly moving on an ascending trajectory and gaining strength with the passage of time.
The All-Weather Friends
Maj Wajiha Arshad pens down her experience as a participant of Fifth Pak-China Young Officers Seminar held in Shijiazhuang, China. Majestically, the sparkling snowflakes fell delicately from the white cloudy skies on our cold faces to welcome us in Beijing. Falling snow looked like tiny angels...
