Daily Times

The Pakistan-China friendship has grown even stronger under the present leaders of two countries. Prime Minister Imran Khan is keen to further develop that bond, Pakistan Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque said on Wednesday.

“It is encouraging to see that the friendship has grown even stronger under the present leadership of our two countries. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is keen to further develop that bond and has visited China thrice since assuming office in 2018,” he said in an article published by Beijing Review.

He said, PM Imran Khan’s reform agenda resonates closely with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vision of socioeconomic development, anti-corruption, poverty alleviation, tourism promotion, clean and green development and jobs and livelihood creation.

President Xi, in turn, is keen to intensify strategic ties with Pakistan. During his 2015 visit to the country, the bilateral ties were upgraded to an all-weather strategic cooperative partnership. During this particular visit, Pakistan and China launched various new projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), one of the biggest projects under the Belt and Road Initiative. Of these undertakings, many have already been completed while others are at different stages of finalization. Pakistan is completely committed to the CPEC and the Belt and Road Initiative and is ready to take this initiative to new heights as aspired to by both nations’ peoples.

“We are proud of the special attention President Xi and the CPC pay to the solidification of the Pakistan-China rapport and look forward to further consolidating our iron-clad brotherhood,” he wrote.

This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China. It is a special occasion to rejoice in our past achievements, renew our firm determination to continue this journey of friendship and elevate it to a new pedestal of bilateral cooperation.

The Pakistan-China relationship has negated the notion that bilateral ties are merely the result of convergence of political interests. On the contrary, we have demonstrated that the underlying forces driving strong international cooperation are those of mutual respect and understanding, the common experiences of the past, the adherence to international norms and values, and the sincere desire to work together for a transparent and just international system catering to the legitimate interests of all nations without any discrimination.