Islamabad (TDI): China’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong, addressed the Symposium Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of President Xi Jinping’s Historic Visit to Pakistan.
“On this occasion, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and respect to all friends who have been committed to the promotion of China-Pakistan cooperation and the enhancement of our ironclad friendship,” the Ambassador said.
President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan on 20-21 April 2015. In the visit that lasted 28 hours, fifty one cooperation agreements were signed.
“President Xi Jinping, together with then President Mamnoon Hussain and then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, decided to elevate our bilateral relations to a new height of “all-weather strategic cooperative partnership”, meaning that we will “always move ahead together rain or shine,” Jiang Zaidong observed.
Remembering the speech President Xi delivered during his visit, Ambassador Zaidong said that it “called for substantiating the China-Pakistan community with a shared future to lead the way in building a community with a shared future in Asia. This has been our fundamental guidance over the past decade, and we have taken solid steps in implementation.”
“We have firmly supported each other on issues concerning our respective core interests and major concerns… We have been each other’s most reliable partners.”
Read More: The Diplomatic Insight -Special Supplement on Pakistan China Relations May 2015
Reflecting on the trade and economic ties, the Ambassador noted that over the past decade, China has remained Pakistan’s largest trading partner, and that CPEC has turned from a vision into reality.
“The operational capacity of Gwadar Port has been comprehensively upgraded; power projects, including thermal, hydro, wind, and solar power plants, as well as key transmission grid project had helped Pakistan bid farewell to its power shortages. The Lahore Orange Line Metro had commenced operation, the Khunjerab Pass is now open year-round,” he added.
He noted with enthusiasm that the number of sister cities and sister provinces has grown over the years. “We have linked our hearts as one, and carried forward our traditional friendship.”
“The number of Pakistani students in China has nearly doubled, ranking high among all countries. We had successfully held the China-Pakistan Friendly Exchange Year and the China-Pakistan Tourism Exchange Year, and celebrations for the 70th anniversary of our diplomatic relations were vibrant,” the Ambassador said.
Read More: Pakistan’s Envoy Highlights Pak-China Ties
Ambassador Jiang Zaidong also recounted the security challenges and how both countries overcame them one by one: “We joined hands to combat the once-in-a-century pandemic, protecting the lives of our people. To support Pakistan in responding to its worst floods in a century, China provided $260 million in aid, ranking as the single largest contributor. The two governments signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Jointly Promoting Cooperation on the Global Security Initiative (GSI).”
Speaking on behalf of China, he said that we are really proud when we look back the past decade of friendship between Pakistan and China.
“We are ready to work with Pakistan to fully implement the important consensus reached between President Xi Jinping and Pakistani leaders, and celebrate the 75th anniversary of our diplomatic relations in 2026 with vibrant bilateral cooperation and fruitful outcomes,” he said.
Suggesting the future that both countries must jointly shape, the Ambassador said that development integration must be priority, alongside security cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and international collaboration.
Read More: Shenzhen University, China Inaugurates Pakistan Studies Center
He noted, “This year, China will host the SCO Summit, while Pakistan has already begun its tenure as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the UN. Amid rising unilateralism, protectionism and bullying acts, China and Pakistan, as important members of the Global South, must continue to strengthen collaboration…”
Remembering President Xi’s words about following people’s aspiration as the ultimate guide to building resilient bilateral relation, the Ambassador said, “A decade later, it remains our guiding principle for advancing China-Pakistan relations. Let us join hands and stand united to meet the challenges, build an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, and create a brighter future for our all-weather strategic cooperative partnership!”
The Diplomatic Insight is a digital and print magazine focusing on diplomacy, defense, and development publishing since 2009.
