The Belt and Road Initiative has brought many opportunities to its participants, said Abrar Manzoor, a Pakistani employee of a Chinese company in Saudi Arabia. More and more Pakistanis are coming back to develop their own country, he added.

Abrar is a purchasing manager at the Saudi Arabia branch of China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC). Abrar, together with nine other foreign staff members, were bestowed with the “Excellent Foreign Youth Employee” award in Beijing at the end of January.

In his eyes, Chinese are diligent and friendly. He said he has become half-Chinese after working in the Chinese enterprise for a long time. Chinese colleagues are family, he told Global Times.

Abundant job opportunities attracted the Pakistani man to Saudi Arabia, but he later found that more and more of his peers were going back to Pakistan for work because of the huge employment opportunities created by the Belt and Road Initiative.

He said that one of his friends has just returned to Pakistan, hoping to make a contribution to his own country.

Abrar said that no country will obey the will of others for profits when talking about the recent threats from the US to freeze aid to Pakistan. He believes that cooperation is based on economic and trade relations, harmonious communication, and brotherliness.

On the contrary, he said, China’s assistance to Pakistan is unconditional, the spirit of which is beyond the expression of language. China has earned both welcome and respect from Pakistan, he said.

After working for CCCC, Abrar has learnt more about cooperation. As the purchasing manager, he always makes the suppliers understand that it is not only cash exchanges that are important, but also partnerships.

“They are not working for me, but with me,” he noted.

However, the cooperation between China and Pakistan on the Belt and Road construction has been publicly opposed by India. “I don’t understand why India feels afraid about cooperation between the two countries,” Abrar said, adding that India is a hypocrite in this sense.

He believes that the Belt and Road is a road of business that promotes local development, creates more jobs, and enhances trade. There is no need to oppose it, he said.