ISLAMABAD – China and Pakistan share a common destiny of people’s progress, region’s prosperity and the world’s peace. These views were expressed by the Minister of the Embassy of China, Mr Shiyuanqiang while talking to the Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of Pakistan Observer, Mr Faisal Zahid Malik, who visited the Embassy of China to express warm greetings at the start of the New Chinese Year.
Mr Faisal Malik presented Mr Shiyuanqiang with a bouquet as a gesture of goodwill and to reaffirm the bond of friendship between the two neighbouring nations. He also wished the government and the people of China a happy, prosperous New Chinese Year.
While appreciating Mr Faisal Malik’s show of solidarity and warmth of mutual respect, Mr Shiyuanqiang said China highly valued its relations with Pakistan. We consider Pakistan a strategic partner and an iron brother, he said. He noted that the partnership between the two countries spans decades and has stood the test of times and climes.
While congratulating Mr Shiyuanqiang on the eve of the New Chinese Year, Mr Faisal Malik remarked that the year has assumed all the more significance with President Asif Zardari’s upcoming visit to China in the coming days.
President Asif Zardari is expected to meet with the Chinese leadership and sign several agreements and MoUs during the visit. This visit will open new avenues for people-to-people, government-to-government, and business-to-business cooperation between Pakistan and China.
Likewise, he said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a project that will transform Pakistan’s economic prosperity, has entered its second phase this New Year.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a flagship project of the BRI. It has transformed Pakistan’s economy, creating hundreds of thousands of employment opportunities and substantial economic activity.
CPEC, with an investment of over US $62 billion, had promised economic prosperity and stability to Pakistan at a time when investment was scarce and the country was facing its worst financial challenges.
Mr Shiyuanqiang also commended the role of the Pakistan Observer in further strengthening the bond of partnership between China and Pakistan. He said the media played an important role in paving the way for smooth bilateral trade and investment cooperation between the countries, and the Pakistan Observer is diligently playing that role.
