AS Pakistan and China are celebrating the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, the leadership of the two countries has once again expressed their firm resolve to further solidify bilateral relations and strategic cooperation.
In a telephonic conversation with the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Prime Minister Imran Khan emphasized that with collective and tireless efforts over the years, Pakistan and China had transformed their relationship into an “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership”.
President Dr Arif Alvi and Chinese President Xi Jinping also vowed to deepen bilateral cooperation and achieve high quality development of CPEC.
It is a routine for different countries of the world to celebrate anniversaries of their diplomatic relations as these highlight warmth of ties and prospects for the future but the occasion assumes special significance as far as China-Pak relations are concerned as the two countries have unique friction-free cooperative relationship that continued blossoming during the last seventy years.
It was not a co-incident that the celebrations also marked completion of the historic Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 (K-2) with 1,100 megawatt capacity, a state-of-the-art generation III nuclear power plant equipped with foolproof safety and security arrangements.
This and dozens of other monumental projects, either already completed or in different stages of completion under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), have started contributing to socio-economic development of Pakistan and ameliorating the lot of its people in different ways.
That is why for people of Pakistan, China has become a true version of the idiom – a friend in need is a friend indeed.
China-Pak friendship has become time-tested as it is built around lasting values of mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual understanding.
Appreciably, despite challenges and conspiracies, the leadership of the two countries has renewed their resolve to steadfastly pursue all projects under the umbrella of CPEC and initiate new ones that will generate economic activity, employment and further enhance bilateral and regional trade.
As Pakistan, like other countries of the world, is facing a grave situation due to Coronavirus, China is providing valuable assistance to the National Institute of Health (NIH) for establishing a vaccine manufacturing facility in Pakistan, which will go a long way in solidifying Pakistan’s efforts to combat Covid-19.
