Pakistan takes “immense pride” in friendship with Iron Brother China: Foreign Ministry

Islamabad: Pakistan has said that Islamabad takes “immense pride” in its friendship with Iron Brother China.

Speaking at a weekly news briefing here, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmed mentioned that China had emerged as a strong voice for the developing countries in the past 50 years.

He acknowledged that China championed the purposes and principles of the UN Charter in the last five decades. “China upheld equity and justice, strengthened multilateralism, espoused equitable development and as a responsible permanent member of the Security Council, contributed to peace and stability across the world,” he remarked.

Pakistan, he added, “takes immense pride in its friendship with China, and in our own contributions to the lawful restoration of New China’s seat at the UN, and its reform and opening up.”

Ahmed noted that restoration of China’s lawful seat in the United Nations was a momentous event marking the return of the Chinese people, a significant part of the world’s population, back to the UN stage. Pakistan congratulates China on the 50th anniversary of this seminal event, he stated.

He announced that Pakistan-China Joint Committee on Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technological Cooperation will hold meeting today (October 29) to further consolidate our comprehensive economic engagement.

“Our multifaceted cooperation with China covers all aspects of inter-state relations. We support each other on all issues of national interest. The high quality development of CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) has immensely contributed to Pakistan’s socio-economic progress,” Ahmed elaborated.

He recalled that the 10th JCC meeting was held on 23 September 2021 to take stock of Phase-II of CPEC, which ventures to benefit from China’s stellar success in economic growth, industrial development, livelihood generation, health, education, modern agriculture and poverty alleviation.

In the years ahead, he pledged: “We are committed to building a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era.”

During the last week, he underscored that Prime Minister Imran Khan also held telephonic conversations with world leaders including most notably with President Xi Jinping of China.

“Interactions between the leadership of Pakistan and China are a hallmark of the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership. The telephone call between the Prime Minister and President Xi Jinping was held with traditional warmth,” he observed.

He emphasized that the relations between Pakistan and China were marked by mutual respect, mutual trust, and mutual understanding.

“This year has special significance as China is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and 50th anniversary of the restoration of People’s Republic of China’s lawful seat at the United Nations. We are also celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries in a befitting manner. In these seventy years, our bilateral partnership has withstood the tests of time, and grown from strength to strength,” he elaborated.