Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Pervaiz Rashid on Wednesday said that friendship with China is the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
In a meeting with Communist Party of China Central Committee Member and the Party’s Secretary of Gansu province Wang Sanyun, the minister said that Pakistan attaches highest priority to its relations with China as this bond is rooted in the will of the people of both these countries.
Ambassador of China to Pakistan Sun Weidong also accompanied the delegation that called on the minister.
The minister said that the CPEC has further expanded the relationship between the two countries by providing it a solid economic foundation and that the relationship can now be called a corporate strategic partnership.
“Pakistan-China friendship is unique in a sense that it enjoys across-the-board political, institutional and popular support in Pakistan,” the minister said. “Pakistan believes that practical benefits of our excellent strategic ties should accrue to the people of the two countries,” he continued.
Pervaiz Rashid also underscored the importance to further promote the people-to-people exchanges by collaborating in the fields of media, information and culture.
“Cooperation in the field of media and bilateral cultural exchanges will indeed play a pivotal role in transmitting the rich traditions of our friendships to our future generations,” he added. Welcoming the visit of the member of Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, he said that Pakistan would also like to strengthen its interaction with the Communist Party of China as it would provide an opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences and best practices. The minister said that Pakistan is working with international community to curb the menace of terrorism and extremism.
“Terrorists have neither any ideology nor faith and they are enemies of humanity”, the minister added.
He said that Operation Zarb-e-Azb is in full swing and is producing positive results. “We will continue to target terrorists until they are eliminated from the country,” he emphasised.
Wang Sanyun, thanked the government of Pakistan for its hospitality and praised the country for its splendid civilisation as well as spiritual and cultural heritage.
He also commended the people of Pakistan as courageous, brave and resilient despite facing the challenges.
He briefed the minister on socio-economic development in the Province of Gansu and said that his province maintained a growth rate of 8.9% even in the face of global slowdown.
He also informed the minister about the efforts made by his province to preserve and encourage cultural achievements of the society.
He informed the minister that his province was a host to 10,700 heritage sites.
He further said that his province was planning to host International Cultural Exhibition in September next year and extended invitation to the minister to participate in the event.
He also offered to provide space to Pakistan to exhibit their cultural heritage and products in the exhibition.
Sanyun also gave various proposals to further cultural exchanges between the two countries. Senator Pervaiz Rashid thanked the delegation for the invitation and assured that he would be looking forward to participate in the International Cultural Exhibition. The minister said that the government and the ministry would give serious consideration to the proposals to ensure that they are made practical as far as possible.
Information and Broadcasting Secretary Saba Mohsin Raza and External Publicity Wing Director General Shafqat Jalil were also present in the meeting.