BEIJING, Sept. 1 -- A delegation of nine media and think tank representatives from Pakistan recently visited China, traveling from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Shaanxi Province to Beijing.

Impressed by China's social and economic advancements, they expressed a strong desire to further deepen China-Pakistan cooperation in the future.

During their five-day visit to Xinjiang, the first stop of their China tour from Aug. 19 to 29, the delegation visited the regional capital Urumqi and the Kazak Autonomous Prefecture of Ili. Through direct exchanges with local residents, the members of the delegation experienced a Xinjiang that starkly contrasts with the negative portrayals by some Western media.

"It is my second time here in Urumqi. It has been 10 years since the last visit, and there are a lot of differences here," said Qamar Bashir, former press secretary to the Pakistani president. "The people look much happier and more confident."

During a visit to the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar in Urumqi, senior PTV journalist Arbab Ali Asghar was visibly excited to meet a Pakistani businessman who shared that he has lived in the region for 30 years and finds the local people very friendly.

"When I visited Xinjiang back in 2014, it was implementing the policy of pulling people out of poverty. Now this is totally transformed, people are living in their own houses, well protected, given jobs, this is all about humanity," said Mian Abrar Hussain, chief news editor of Pakistan Today. He also engaged in in-depth exchanges with locals in a relocation village in Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County in Ili.

Captivated by the vibrant scenes -- crowds of tourists, people of all ethnic groups dancing joyfully and a dazzling array of goods from various countries -- Maarij Farooq, deputy editor and chief digital editor of the Daily Ittehad Media Group, couldn't resist capturing the beautiful moments with his camera throughout the journey.

Farooq told Xinhua that before visiting the region, he was concerned that the negative propaganda about Xinjiang on social media might be partly true.

"But the truth is totally different. People here are living a very good life," Farooq said. "I would recommend that people themselves visit this beautiful place, and they will see the changes taking place in China."

The trip also unraveled answers to the delegation's lingering questions about Xinjiang. "In English, they say 'the proof of the pudding is in the eating.' Now, I have eaten the pudding," said Murtaza Solangi, chief editor of Stratheia, an online media outlet from Pakistan.

"Before coming here, there were a lot of stories of underdevelopment and backwardness of Xinjiang. But it's a region that's hustling and bustling with energy, technology and new ideas," he added, expressing the hope that the people of Xinjiang and Pakistan can learn from each other in fighting extremism and terrorism.

During their China tour, the delegation also witnessed the achievements of exchanges and cooperation between China and Pakistan under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Launched in 2013 as a flagship BRI project, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has broadened bilateral cooperation from infrastructure to include new energy and agriculture sectors.

LONGi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (LONGi), a leading global solar technology company in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, entered the Pakistani market in 2018. The market share of LONGi's photovoltaic (PV) module in Pakistan exceeded 40 percent this year.

"I got the solar panels on my house. I feel so relieved now because it's a good technology, good for the pocket and also for the environment," said Abdullah Gauhar Malik, digital editor of Pakistan Observer, during the delegation's visit to LONGi. "I think there is huge potential for energy cooperation between Pakistan and China."

Speaking about Western accusations of overcapacity in China's PV sector, he said that there was no such thing as overproduction and that current activities were significantly benefiting the environment. "As long as there is market demand, there is no overcapacity. We should do more."

According to the delegates, with the CPEC now entering its second phase, they anticipate an increase in collaborative projects focused on renewable energy and the green transformation of the economy.

  - Xinhua