Pakistan has always been a priority of Chinese diplomacy: acting Chinese CG

The past 70 years of China were years of glory, pioneering and innovation. The country has grown from an impoverished, weak to the world's second-largest economy. More than 800 million people have been alleviated out of poverty. The people live and work in peace and harmony, the society is stable and orderly.

China is strong and prosperous and the Chinese nation is standing in the east of the world with a high spirit. The past 70 years were years of pioneering and innovation. China has always adhered to its own path, set up and developed.

These views were expressed by the acting consul general of the People's Republic of China in Karachi, Chen Xiaodong, on Saturday. He was the chief guest at the ceremony held to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People' s Republic of China, which was organised by the Confucius Institute, University of Karachi, said a press release issued by Karachi University.

He mentioned that as the “Iron Brother” of China, Pakistan has always been the priority of Chinese diplomacy over 70 years. It is a model of state-to-state relations with different social systems, different historical backgrounds.

“We are close friends in politics and confidants in culture and brother in safety. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1951, no matter how the international landscape, regional situation and domestic situation of the two countries changed, the two sides have always trusted and supported each other firmly on each other's core interests. The traditional friendship has grown from strength to strength. China always firmly supports Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, firmly supports Pakistan to develop itself and play a more constructive role in international and regional affairs.”

Chen Xiaodong said that the two are partners in development and China has become Pakistan's largest trading partner for five consecutive years, the largest source of investment for Pakistan for six consecutive years. As a pilot project of the Belt and Road Initiative, the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has entered a new phase of enrichment and expansion.

He further said that the two sides aim at high-quality development and take the industrial cooperation, social sector cooperation as the new focus. China supports Pakistan to improve its indigenous development capabilities, increase employment and expand exports, and accelerate integration into the international community.

He added that China will provide more assistance to Pakistan in areas of people's livelihood such as agriculture, education, medical care, drinking water and employment, and bring tangible benefits to the Pakistani people.

“The similarity between peoples is the foundation of state-to-state relations. Nowadays, about 25,000 Pakistani students are studying in China, and more than 7,000 of them obtained various kinds of scholarships. We will provide more scholarships to Pakistani students. We are willing to expand exchanges in the fields of culture, art, archaeology, film and sports continuously. We welcome more Pakistani friends to visit China for better understanding of Chinese culture.”

KU acting Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Tabassum Mehboob, said that new China has made remarkable progress in its economy and China’s national strength has been growing with each passing day.

She said that during the last twenty years, 850 million people have been lifted out of poverty. This is the exceptional case of the history. We know that Pakistan and China have cordial relations ever since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

She added that over a period of decades, this relation has been tested many times. This relation is not only at government’s level but also between the peoples of two countries. The joint venture CPEC is considered as a milestone to strengthen the Sino-Pak relations, she added.

The Chinese director of CIUK, Professor Zhang Xiaoping, said that China has made great progress in economic and social development in the last 70 years, especially in the last 40 years. China is working to promote a community with a shared future for mankind, and carrying out more exchanges and mutual learning with Pakistan.

“As a non-profit public institution, Confucius Institute at University of Karachi is dedicated to facilitating the learning of Chinese and promoting people to people contact between China and Pakistan. With six years of development, CIUK has become the largest Confucius institute in Pakistan. As many as 30 Chinese teachers and two Pakistani teachers of our institute provide Chinese language and cultural courses for more than 6, 000 students in Confucius Institute and teaching sites.”

He said that this year, 30 students of CIUK had their first experience in China through a summer camp program and 13 students got a scholarship to study in Chinese universities. “I have been in this lovely city for one year and seven days. Ever since my arrival here, I have always been impressed by the sincere friendship between China and Pakistan and stories of students eagerly learning Chinese.”

The Pakistani Director of CIUK, Professor Dr Nasir Uddin Khan, said that the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 ushered in a new era in the history of the transformation of the Chinese nation. The painful history of the Chinese nation being invaded and enslaved for more than 100 years was ended completely.

The program was hosted by the Pakistani students who were compering in Chinese and English languages while Chinese teaching faculty and Pakistani students presented various cultural activities like folk music and dance.