New chapter of Pak-China friendship opened: Mamnoon
Date : 20-12-2014
 |
Islamabad - President Mamnoon Hussain has said that the leadership transitions in Pakistan and China last year have opened a new chapter of cooperation between the two friendly countries.
The President was addressing the launching ceremony of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s book titled; “The Governance of China”, organised by the Pakistan-China Institute in collaboration with Embassy of the People’s Republic of China here at Pak-China Friendship Centre On Friday.
The President said that both countries have further reaffirmed their strategic partnership by putting economic partnership at the centre of their bilateral agenda.
The President said that both countries have made further strides in the new chapter of bilateral collaboration particularly on economic front as was evident from the recent fruitful visit of Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to China which saw the conclusion of 19 MoUs relating to energy, infrastructure and other projects.
The President stated that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (EPEC) is the flagship project for this new phase of relationship adding that by linking the Gwadar Port via the Karakoram Highway with Xinjiang, the CPEC will be a transformational project for the economies of both countries.
Talking about the book of Chinese President, the President said that given the keen and widespread interest in understanding President Xi Jinping’s vision for China, the launch of a book compiled of the President’s important speeches, remarks and policy pronouncements could not be more timelier.
The President added that the book emphatically expounds the Chinese government’s outlook and views on specific issues besides providing a comprehensive overview of the ideas of the CPC on effectively governing the world’s second largest economy.
The President expressed hope that the book would assist its readership to understand the Chinese government under the dynamic leadership of President Xi Jinping as well as China’s ideologies, pattern of development, policies and diplomacy.
The President said that Pakistan and China have always enjoyed close and cordial relations, adding that over the decades the relationship between the two countries has grown into a strategic partnership that has benefited both nations on the diplomatic, economy and military spheres.
The warmth in bilateral ties at the government to government level is equally matched by cordial relations and cooperation between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and all major political parties of Pakistan, added the President.
The CPC Secretary General and Chinese President Xi Jinping has coined the term, “Iron Brothers”, for Pakistan-China friendship, further stated the President.
“The people of Pakistan and China have stood shoulder to shoulder through every trial and tribulation. We cherish the same ideals: freedom, dignity, and the right to peaceful pursuit of development. We are truly “Iron Brothers”, concluded the President.
The ceremony was attended, among others, by Vice Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Mr. Chen Fengxiang, Ambassador of China in Pakistan Sun Weidong, Chairman Pakistan-China Institute Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed and senior dignitaries from the governments of both countries along with intelligentsia.