BEIJING: Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Sunday that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a harbinger of shared economic prosperity and peace in the region. She was talking to Jiang Jianguo, the vice minister of Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of CPC, and Minister of State Council Information Office (SCIO) in Beijing on Sunday. She is on a four-day visit to China on the invitation of the Chinese government. Welcoming the minister of state, Jiang Jianguo said that it was a pleasure to receive her on her first official visit to China. He said that their two people and countries shared a high level of mutual trust, respect and friendship. He further said that CPEC, being a flagship project of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), was an initiative for their shared future. The minister also shared pleasant memories of his visit to Pakistan in 2017. Marriyum Aurangzeb thanked the minister for the warm hospitality. She said that Pakistan and China were carrying a legacy of cooperation, the foundations of which were laid by their ancestors. She said that BRI, a vision of President Xi Jinping, would change not only the destiny of people of China but would also benefit the people of the region and beyond. She said that the CPEC represented a great leap forward for further cementing ties between two countries. Pak-China relationship was perennial as it was anchored in respect and mutual progress. This relationship, she added, had been interwoven in Pakistani culture through folk lore, which “is a testament to the tensile, enduring, unique and special relationship”. She said that since assuming power in 2013, the PML-N government had successfully added 11,000 MWs electricity to overcome the energy crisis with the assistance of their good friend China. She said that irrespective of party affiliations, all political parties in the country supported the CPEC, which augured well for the region as it promoted connectivity among the people which would go a long way towards peace and prosperity in the region. She also assured that the Pakistani government was making all out efforts to ensure security of all Chinese nationals. She expressed her desire for enhanced cultural and media contacts by sharing cultural norms and exchanging media delegations. She called for closer co-operation in the field. The minister said that Pakistan condemned terrorism in all its manifestations and forms and had achieved success in combating it. Terrorist attacks, which were 2600 in 2013, had reduced by 82% to 160, she said. Ambassador of Pakistan Masood Khalid was also present on the occasion and said that SCIO was playing a very important role in sharing the Chinese vision with the world. He said that support of SCIO was crucial in enhancing media cooperation. The ambassador said that currently 22,000 Pakistani students were studying in China. Published in Daily Times, February 5th 2018.