China stood by Pakistan through thick and thin: Sharif

• Punjab CM says friendly relations between two countries cannot be described in words

The friendly relations between Pakistan and China are more than an ordinary relationship and cannot be described in words, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif said addressing a function on the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China at the CM’s Office on Saturday.

The event was attended by Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal, Foreign Affairs Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry, Chinese Consul General Yu Boren, provincial ministers, MNAs, MPAs intellectuals, columnists and officials of different Chinese companies.

In his address, the chief minister said that “Pakistan-China friendship is unprecedented in the world and the relations of mutual confidence and respect between the two countries during the last 65 years are based on love and sincerity”.

He said that a number of changes occurred in the world, but China has always stood by Pakistan as a rock. China, he added, extended all-out cooperation to Pakistan in the United Nations and Security Council on international issues and supported its stance.

Sharif said that during the present tenure of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a new era of friendship and economic cooperation between Pakistan and China had started and the mutual friendship between the two countries was touching new heights now. “China has supported Pakistan like a true friend in war and peace and at the time of natural calamities,” he added.

The chief minister said that under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, energy and infrastructure projects were being implemented speedily in Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Punjab and all parts of the country and their completion would result in progress and prosperity of the country.

“Owing to the efforts of Prime Minister Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the friendship between the two countries has further strengthened and economic cooperation increased,” he said.

Sharif said that when the CPEC agreements were signed during the visit of the Chinese president to Pakistan in April last year, there were speculations that these agreements would never take a practical shape, but then the world saw that within two to three months of the signing of the agreements work was started on the projects and with their implementation the journey of progress and prosperity had started in Pakistan.

The CM said that under the CPEC, investment of billions of dollars was being made in energy projects and completion of these projects would result in generation of thousands of megawatts electricity due to which Pakistani industry, agriculture and other sectors would progress and millions of new job opportunities would be created.

CM Sharif said that this story of Pak-China friendship and economic cooperation between the two countries would be remembered forever and when the historians would write this history they would write about the role of China in the progress and prosperity of Pakistan in golden letters.