Zubair Qureshi
Islamabad
The year 2019 was significant, as it not only saw seventy years of the founding of People’s Republic of China (PRC) it also saw seventy years of Pak-China friendship.
This was said by Ambassador of China Yao Jing Wednesday at a reception marking beginning of the Chinese lunar year. Over 1.4 billion Chinese people celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC.
The reception held exclusively for media and think tank saw a large number of journalists, members of various think tanks and forums who had come to know about Chinese leadership’s vision regarding the country’s role in changing world scenario and particularly about Pakistan-China friendship.
In the years to come China is determined to continue its upward journey and rise it will with peace and respect for other countries’ sovereignty, said the ambassador. He said China would continue to support Pakistan on Kashmir dispute as India’s unilateral change of Kashmir status is against international rules and in violation of the UN Security Council’s resolutions.
“This is an issue of international justice and we stand by Pakistan for the right cause of the Kashmiri people,” said the ambassador hoping the world community would fulfil its responsibility. We are very much concerned with the situation in Kashmir,” he added. In his keynote speech the ambassador highlighted the steady growth in Pak-China relations in the recent years, particularly in the context of CPEC that has now entered into the second phase of its implementation. The ambassador very candidly and frankly replied to the questions of the media and made it clear China is happy to remain and it will remain a very strong partner of Pakistan.
The second phase of CPEC, he said aimed at empowering private sector of Pakistan and to enhance the country’s capability in various sectors including agriculture, social service and production. With the implementation of 2nd phase of the free trade agreement, both the countries have now moved forward raising the level of their bilateral trade, said the ambassador. He reiterated that China would like to increase people to people ties between the two countries.
About his country’s socio-economic rise, he said, the year 2020 will also be a landmark year of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. China will complete its 13th Five-Year Plan, eliminate absolute poverty completely, build a moderately prosperous society in all respects.
Over the past 70 years, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, we adhere to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and have scored remarkable achievements. China’s GDP has broken through the threshold of dollar 13.6 trillion in 2018, a great leap forward from over dollar 12.3 billion in 1949.
Ambassador Yao Jing thanked the Pakistani media for its objective reporting on crucial issues, particular that relating to Xinjiang. Western media is propagating against China by misguiding on Xinjiang and Hong Kong, said the ambassador.
He gave statistics that revealed number of mosques have increased in Xinjiang from less than 10,000 in 1949 to over 25,000 in 2019. The region he said is enjoying exemplary progress as the annual per capita income from US$70 has increased to US$70,000.
Similarly, the Chinese government is exercising maximum restraint in Hong Kong otherwise how can a government tolerate protests and disruption of normal life at every weekend, said the ambassador.
