“Pakistan and China enjoy close ties of friendship and this bond would be further strengthened in the future,” said the Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong during a reception at a local hotel on Monday.
The reception was attended by members of the federal cabinet, parliamentarians, ambassadors, representatives of the business community and politicians.
The Ambassador stated that the good neighbourly relation between the two countries is the result of mutual trust and support and the relationship transcends the changes of time and politics.
He said, “China-Pakistan friendly relations have been consistently nurtured over time by leaders of both sides through bilateral ties. The Chinese government has always given priority to diplomatic relations with Pakistan.” He noted that maintaining trustworthy relations with China has always remained a cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
Weidong remarked that China considered Pakistan’s friendship as solid as iron and regarded it as an ‘invaluable asset’. Referring to the recent visit of Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif to China, the ambassador said, “The two sides engaged in friendly and constructive exchanges and expressed a strong desire to continue to deepen Pak-China strategic cooperation partnership in the new era. During the visit eight cooperation agreements were signed relating to different fields.”
He assured of his country’s full support to Pakistan in resolving the prevailing energy crisis and highlighted the importance of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. “The two sides have set up Joint Cooperation Committee for this purpose,” he added.
Furthermore, he said that China wants peaceful development in the region by following a win-win strategy and formation of new bilateral ties with other countries, on the basis of principles of coexistence. He said, “Pakistan is a great country, with enormous potential and a bright future and we are proud of having her as our friend and we believe Pakistan will prosper even more through developing a path catering to its national interests.”
Appreciating the efforts of the present government for development in various sectors, he ensured of his country’s full support for the ‘Asian Tiger’ dream for the revival of Pakistan’s economy.
He concluded his speech with the quotation of Muhammad Ali Jinnah who said, “Only friends can make dreams come true.”
