Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Masood Khan has said that longevity, resilience and trust are the best words to describe Pakistan-China relations, adding that no relationship among the two sovereign states is as unique as that between Pakistan and China.
He said this in his message printed in a photo album titled Sixty years of Diplomatic Relations between Pakistan and China, recently published by the World Affairs Press of China in both Chinese and English languages. The book has included some rare photographs including those of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed, President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani,Syed Alamdar Gilani, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Chairman JCSC, General Khalid Shameem Wynne with Chinese leadership.
The picture book contains scores of historical photographs of meetings of Pakistani and Chinese leadership including Chaudhry Mohammad Ali, Ayub Khan, Mohammad Khan Junejo, Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao. In his message Yang Jiechi, China’s Minister for Foreign Affairs,said that during the last sixty years when one (of our countries) was in trouble, the other has always been there, firm as a rock.
Sino-Pakistani friendship not only meets the common aspirations and fundamental interests of our people, but also contributes to peace and stability in the region and beyond. China’s current Ambassador to Pakistan, Liu Jian said: China-Pakistan relations have gone beyond bilateral dimensions and acquired broader regional and international ramifications. Friendship towards China is embedded in the Pakistani psyche. People in Pakistan often say, we can give up gold, but not our friendship with China. Sino-Pakistani friendship is a valuable asset for the people of both countries.
President Zardari, Ambassador Khan mentioned, has said that this friendship is rooted in the hearts and minds of our two peoples. President Hu Jintao has stressed that Pakistan is China’s good neighbour, close friend, dear brother, and trusted partner. Masood Khan said in the past 60 years, our friendship has scaled many higher peaks, it has never gone through any troughs. That is its strength. Our cooperation has been based on the principles of mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual benefit. Moreover, ours is a benign relationship which has sought stability and shared prosperity. It is not directed against any other country or community.
Ambassador Masood Khan regarded Pakistan-China friendship as the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy and an aspiration shared by all political forces and all people in Pakistan. We are grateful to China for helping us build our civil and military infrastructure. China has rendered valuable assistance to Pakistan’s economy in the construction of dams, ports, roads, power plants, and industrial projects. The Gwadar Port and Karakorum Highway are living monuments of our collaboration. We are now making economic and trade linkages the nub of our relations. The two countries have a joint five-year economic plan and free trade agreements on goods, services, and investment. Together, we are working for win-win partnerships.
Masood Khan said the relationship between Pakistan and China is a factor of peace and stability in the region and beyond. Our two countries firmly believe in the principles of sovereign equality and non-interference. China has steadfastly extended support for Pakistan’s efforts to uphold its sovereignty and independence. Pakistan too has clearly upheld the one-China policy and supported China on issues concerning Tibet and Xinjiang.
We value China’s support, as Pakistan grapples with the threat of terrorism and our citizens continue to give sacrifices not just for Pakistan but for the entire region. Our joint efforts to push back the forces of terrorism, extremism and separatism have been successful. We are pursuing greater connectivity between China and Pakistan. The Pakistani ports of Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar are nearer to the Western regions of China than Shanghai and Hong Kong. In future, our land can help channel energy supplies from the Gulf to China. As Pakistan’s economy takes off, we can work with China as a full fledged economic partner.
Expressing his views about the future he said, the two countries will work harder to promote people to people contacts so that the citizens of the two countries, especially young men and women from all walks of life, can interact with one another in greater numbers. Last year, he said, Premier Wen Jiabao and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani designated 2011 as the Year of Friendship. There is no better way to celebrate this year than to revive the powerful images of our friendship. Pictures speak louder than words and this collage of rare historic moments is going to tell a thousand stories. These images are a treasure trove and part of popular ethos of the two countries, the Ambassador concluded.The Embassy of Pakistan also printed a similar book earlier this year.
source:- Pakistan Times
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