‘Pakistan, China love each other’s festivals and cultures’

Islamabad:Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong on Tuesday said that Pakistan and China not only have equality between civilizations, “but we also love each other’s festivals and cultures.”

China loves the old traditional festivals of Pakistan including the Eid festival, he said while speaking at a function held here at Chinese Embassy to celebrate International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations.

Last year, he said, China and the other 82 member States of the UN proposed the Global Civilisation Initiative, and it was approved by the UN General Assembly.

“This reflects the continuous expansion of global civilisation, and it also reflects the goodwill of the member states of the UN and the United States.” We all want to promote the mutual exchanges of civilisations to realise the great dream of improving human civilization, he added.He said members of the United Nations, including Pakistan, want to promote mutual learning among civilisations and promote advanced progress among civilisations. “It is the common aspiration of mankind, so today we are celebrating the first International Day for Dialogue Among Civilisations.”

He said, it shows that China is implementing the GCI step by step and promoting the advancement of progress of humankind’s civilisation. He believed China and Pakistan had a very solid foundation and leverages to implement GCI.

China will always practice the exchanges among civilisations, he said and added China will always promote the progress of civilisations too.Before the Eid holiday, Chinese embassy’s website, sent a congratulatory video message to all the Pakistani friends to express our best wishes, and it has reminded me of the Chinese Spring Festival celebrations.

“It shows that there are some similarities between the Eid holiday and also our Spring Festival.”He said the Gandhara Arts Exhibition is a shining example of the exchanges between Chinese and Pakistani civilisations.

It combines Pakistan’s own culture with the ancient Rome and Greek and Buddhism culture and has formed its own unique style, he added.This year marks the 18th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and also the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, he said.

The United Nations has brought profound changes to the international system and order, he added.He said countries, regardless of big or small, or strong or poor, are all equal. “We should all treat each other equal, but some countries have forgotten about these principles.”

He said, if all the countries uphold the international system with the United Nations as its core, and we defend the international order with the international law as its core, and we defend the international principle with the United Nations Charter as its core, there will be no trade wars or tariff wars, and there will be no such problems in the world.

So as the staunch forces of the international community, China and Pakistan, also as the important members of the global south, China and Pakistan should always practise the true multilateralism and promote an equal and inclusive globalization, he added.