ISLAMABAD: Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong said that president Xi Jinping personally cared for and promoted China-Pakistan relations over the past decade, and successive Pakistani governments have consistently upheld friendship with China the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
While addressing the symposium celebrating the 10th anniversary of president Xi Jinping’s historic visit to Pakistan on Monday, ambassador said that President Xi paid a historic state visit to Pakistan. The Pakistani government and people extended their warmest welcome and highest hospitality. Giant national flags, enthusiastic slogans and smiling faces, scenes of China-Pakistan friendship were everywhere.
The 28-hour visit witnessed 18 events and the signing of 51 cooperation documents, it was intensive both in schedule and outcomes. President Xi Jinping, together with then President Mamnoon Hussain and then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, decided to elevate our bilateral relations to a new height of “all-weather strategic cooperative partnership”, meaning that we will “always move ahead together rain or shine”. President Xi Jinping also personally charted the overall layout for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). These opened a new chapter in our traditional friendship and bilateral relations, said ambassador.
During the visit, President Xi Jinping not only held meetings with leaders of Pakistan’s government, parliament, military and political parties, but also warmly received representatives of Pakistani friends and awarded them the Friendship Award of Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Moreover, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at Pakistan’s National Assembly, where he received over 50 rounds of applause (desk-thumping) in 30 minutes. In the speech, President Xi Jinping called for substantiating the China-Pakistan community with a shared future to lead the way in building a community with a shared future in Asia. This has been our fundamental guidance over the past decade, and we have taken solid steps in implementation, told ambassador.
We have supported and helped each other, deepening our strategic cooperation. Over the past decade, our heads of state and governments have exchanged visits and met on multilateral occasions for 20 times, with over a hundred other high-level visits and dialogues. These provided strategic guidance and strong impetus for the all-weather strategic cooperation between China and Pakistan. We have firmly supported each other on issues concerning our respective core interests and major concerns. Pakistan has been an example for the international community in adhering to the One-China Principle, while China has consistently supported Pakistan in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. We have been each other’s most reliable partners, added ambassador.
The ambassador also told that, we have promoted shared benefits while upholding righteousness to achieve common development. Over the past decade, China has remained Pakistan’s largest trading partner. The CPEC has turned from a vision into reality. The operational capacity of Gwadar Port has been comprehensively upgraded; power projects, including thermal, hydro, wind, and solar power plants, as well as key transmission grid project had helped Pakistan bid farewell to its power shortages.
The Lahore Orange Line Metro had commenced operation, the Khunjerab Pass is now open year-round. The K2 and K3 nuclear power plants had been completed and put into operation, while the C5 nuclear power plant has begun construction. Our central banks have expanded the currency swap agreement, and an RMB clearing bank has started operation in Pakistan. The all-round cooperation between China and Pakistan continues to expand and deepen, significantly enhancing Pakistan’s economic development capacity and resilience, noted ambassador.
