Chinese father, daughter honoured for promoting Sino-Pak friendship

BEIJING: A Chinese father and his daughter, who are famous in China and have contributed to Pak-Chin friendship for 65 years, were respectively awarded the Hilal-I-Pakistan and Sitara-I-Pakistan across 33 years, according to a report published by China Economic Net (CEN).

To mark the 70th anniversary of China-Pakistan diplomatic ties, CEN had an interview with the daughter, Geng Ying. She recalled how she and her father, Geng Biao, has fought for Pak-Chin friendship.

Geng Biao (1909-2000), the former vice-premier of China during 1978-1983, is rarely mentioned as another position — China’s former ambassador to Pakistan. However, during his lifetime, he opened the epoch and extended the roots for the “Iron brotherhood” between Pakistan and China.

His eldest daughter, Geng Ying, also follows her father’s footsteps and continues to work for their lofty aspiration. She said, “I hope I can step on all the places where my father works and do more for the people of Pakistan in my lifetime.”Because there was no professional diplomatic team in the early days of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Geng Biao was transformed from a general into an ambassador. In 1956, Geng Biao was appointed as the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, and the appointment coincided with the founding ceremony of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.