Pakistan and China on Thursday formally inaugurated 2015 as the Year of Friendly Exchanges at a colorful ceremony held at the Pak-China Friendship Center.
Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong jointly inaugurated the event.
Addressing the ceremony, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Pakistan and China were close friends and enjoyed an all-weather friendship. Referring to various projects initiated in Pakistan with Chinese cooperation, the Chinese foreign minister especially mentioned the construction of the Karakorum Highway where many Chinese have sacrificed their lives for the completion of the vital project.
He also thanked Pakistan for extending support to the One China Policy and advocating China’s case for UN membership. He said that China would always extend its full support and cooperation for the sovereignty, dignity, territorial integrity, and national unity of Pakistan.
The Chinese foreign minister said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will prove to be a milestone in further promoting and cementing the time-tested Pak-China relations. He said that it is a flagship project and it had strategic importance for both countries.
A formal signing ceremony was also held on the occasion to open the Chinese Consulate in Lahore.
