Islamabad& Beijing,August 23,2022 -Theopeningceremonyofthe China Society for Hydropower Engineering Society (CSHE)PakistanRepresentative Office was held at the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan. The ceremony was conducted in a hybrid format, with venues in Islamabad, Pakistan, and Beijing, China. Xie Guoxiang, Minister Counsellor for Economic Affairs at the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, Zafaruddin Mahmood, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Javid Latif, Director of the Water and Power Development Authority, Zheng Sheng'an, Executive Vice President and Secretary General ofCSHE, Xi Hao, ExecutiveDeputySecretary General, Ji Xiaoyong, Chairman ofIF-CSHE and PowerChina International Group Limted, Executive Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of IF-CSHE, Liu Shaoquan,Executive Vice President of PowerChina International Group Limted and President ofEurasian Regional Headquarters, as well as other Pakistani government officials, think tank leaders, representatives from Chinese-funded enterprises in Pakistan, and members of the society, totaling more than 50 people, attended the event.

In his speech at the ceremony, Zheng Sheng'an first addressed the audience. He stated that as China's hydropower industry continues to grow, the Hydropower Society has become a sizable and active academic organization in the domestic hydropower construction industry. With the establishment of the Pakistan Representative Office, the society will focus on promoting organic integration in areas such as the development of hydropower and new energy, technological progress, international academic exchanges, talent cultivation, and international engineer accreditation between China and Pakistan. They aim to formulate methods, strengthen measures, and enhance effectiveness to better serve hydropower enterprises and members in Pakistan.

Xie Guoxiang highly praised the establishment of the Pakistan Representative Office of the Hydropower Society in his speech. He pointed out that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a model project and flagship initiative of the Belt and Road Initiative, with a large number of Chinese enterprises, including China Power Construction, deeply rooted in Pakistan. The Representative Office should further strengthen cooperation between Chinese and Pakistani enterprises and research institutions, increase innovation in science, technology, and management, provide Chinese wisdom and solutions for the development of hydropower and new energy in Pakistan, create a batch of Belt and Road hydropower demonstration projects, improve Pakistan's energy structure, and inject new momentum into the construction of the China-Pakistan relationship and community of shared future.

Ji Xiaoyong expressed in his speech that as the supporting unit of the first overseas branch ofCSHE, the Pakistan Representative Office,PowerChina International Group Limtedwill strive to enhance the international influence of the society from three aspects: organizational development, talent exchange, and mutual trust and cooperation. They will fully leverage the role of the Representative Office as an international exchange window and technological academic platform, voice China's opinions in the fields of hydropower and new energy, and jointly promote the healthy development of Pakistan's hydropower and new energy industry.

Xi Hao read out the approval document for the establishment of the Pakistan Representative Office of the Chinese Hydropower Engineering Society. Yang Jianduo, the representative authorized by the office and the country representative ofPowerChinain Pakistan, delivered a statement.

Subsequently, Xie Guoxiang, Zafaruddin Mahmood, Javid Latif, Yang Jianduo, Tahir Masood, and Guo Guangling jointly unveiled the plaque for the Pakistan Representative Office ofCSHE.