Dinner hosted to bid farewell to Chinese envoy

Islamabad: To bid farewell to the outgoing envoy of the Peoples Republic of China, Sun Weidong and his spouse Diana Bao, chairman Pakistan China Institute, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed and Mrs Dushka Saiyid hosted a dinner at the Nazara Lounge, Serena Hotel.

The event was attended by members of different political parties, some diplomats of the Chinese embassy; a few Chinese businessmen and a few ladies who were there in their own right as professional members of society.

After a meet and greet period, everyone was seated and the formal part of the evening began with the host welcoming his guests. “Time has passed quickly since Ambassador Sun Weidong came to Pakistan but great developments have taken place during his tenure,” he said, paying tribute to the Chinese envoys diplomatic skills. “Since the first steps that Pakistan and China took towards each other in the 1950s, the bilateral relationship between our two countries has transformed into a deep bond based on shared values and interests and is now a fully grown partnership for peace, progress and prosperity.”

“For me, personally, it has also been a journey of learning, discovering, and traveling in China, a journey I started as a teenager when I first went to China in 1970,” he said. “In the course of the many visits I have made in the past forty years, I have seen China transform from an isolated, under-developed country to the world’s second fastest growing economy and a world power that today ranks as the major competitor of the advanced, industrialized West.”

He went on to say the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had been a game changer as far as the economic development of Pakistan was concerned and with the consensus of all political parties was going full steam ahead. He concluded with reminiscing and relating a few anecdotes about his interaction with Chinese leaders and wished the outgoing envoy all the best for the future but not before he had appreciated the important role the ambassador’s wife has played in supporting her husband and in interacting with the Pakistani people. 

In his response the guest of honour thanked the host and his wife for organising the dinner and recalled how it was they who had hosted the first dinner to introduce   him and Diana when they arrived. “I was new in Pakistan and it was kind of him to introduce me to some well known personalities, which made it easier for me to do my job” he said and went on to say during his stay, China-Pakistan relations have been uplifted to a new level.

In recent years frequent high-level exchanges between China and Pakistan have taken place; the construction of CPEC has been playing an important role in Pakistan's economic and social development and brought great benefits to the two peoples - cooperation has developed in the fields of trade and investment, culture, science and technology, education, defense and security; people to people contacts have increased; we have maintained close coordination in major international and regional affairs - our relations are full of success stories. “Next month, the Communist Party of China will convene its 19th National Congress. This will be of most importance in China’s political life this year,” he said.”

In conclusion he said that the many friends he had made in Pakistan has been a source of great joy and even the dinner felt like a family get together. “Let us work together to push China-Pakistan all-weather friendship to new heights,” he said. “Pakistan China dosti zindabad”  

After this mementos were presented to the outgoing couple by the hosts and a leisurely meal followed, which indicated the high regard the Chinese couple have for their hosts of the evening.