At China’s 77th National Day reception, PM highlights 75 years of diplomatic ties, CPEC 2.0 and expanding cooperation in industry, agriculture, technology and AI
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening its all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China, describing the longstanding friendship as a bond founded on mutual trust, steadfast support and close ties between the two peoples.
Addressing a reception held to mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the prime minister said Pakistan and China were also celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year. He conveyed his felicitations to President Xi Jinping and the Chinese people, saying China’s Founding Day was always close to the hearts of the Pakistani people.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said China’s historic transformation and its growing contribution to global peace, stability and development continued to inspire countries around the world, particularly Pakistan.
He also expressed Pakistan’s support for President Xi Jinping’s Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative and Global Governance Initiative, describing them as important pillars of efforts towards a shared future for humanity.
The prime minister said Pakistan-China relations had evolved over more than seven decades into a special partnership based on mutual trust, mutual support and close people-to-people ties. He said Pakistan took immense pride in its All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with China and described the countries’ “iron-clad friendship” as one that had stood the test of time.
He said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) represented a significant expression of the enduring friendship and shared commitment to a more prosperous future, adding that both countries were now moving towards the next phase, CPEC 2.0, with greater emphasis on industrialisation, special economic zones, information technology and artificial intelligence, agriculture, and mines and minerals.
Highlighting agricultural cooperation, Prime Minister Shehbaz said the first batch of 1,000 Pakistani agriculture graduates had completed training in China, while another 1,000 were ready to undertake the programme. He described the initiative as an important investment in the skills and future of Pakistan’s youth.
The prime minister said Pakistan-China relations remained an “anchor” of Pakistan’s foreign policy and had been nurtured by successive generations of leadership. Recalling his meeting with President Xi Jinping in Beijing in May, he said their discussions had reaffirmed the enduring friendship between the two countries. Pakistan, he added, remained committed to implementing the important understandings reached by the two leaderships for the mutual benefit of their peoples.
He reiterated Pakistan’s resolve to continue working with China towards building an ever-closer Pakistan-China Community with a Shared Future in the New Era.
The event concluded with a cake-cutting ceremony led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, joined by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Ambassador Jiang Zaidong.
The reception was attended by Federal Ministers Attaullah Tarar, Ali Pervaiz Malik, Musadik Masood Malik and Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary, Prime Minister’s Coordinator Rana Ihsaan Afzal, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi, members of the diplomatic corps and other dignitaries.
