Pakistan is China’s ‘iron brother’: President Xi

ISLAMABAD: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday praised Pakistan’s role as a frontline state in the war on terror and said ‘its sacrifices in this battle can’t be forgotten’.
“Pakistan and China would fight the challenges of terrorism together. China considers Pakistan as its ‘Iron Brother’. I remember the time when China was completely isolated in the world. Pakistan was the country that stood by us in testing times,” he said while addressing the joint sitting of parliament.
When President Xi entered the Parliament House, all members gave him a standing ovation and thumped desks to welcome him.Earlier, on his arrival at the Parliament House, President Xi was received by Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and the Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani.
In his historic address, President Xi vowed to stand by Pakistan in its endeavor to achieve the greater objective of socio-economic development and prosperity. He even referred to the Poet of the East Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal, who in 1930 predicted that a day would come when China would emerge as a developed and a great country.
He said Beijing and Islamabad had been of tremendous support to each other, adding both countries stood by each other in times of need.He also referred to the assistance offered by the two countries to each other in the events of natural disasters.
He said China was thankful to Pakistan for its cooperation and assistance to maintain peace on its borders.“Pakistan is the first foreign country that I visit this year and it is my first visit to your country, but Pakistan is not at all unfamiliar to me,” he said.
“I have long been fascinated by Pakistan; we are overwhelmed by your hospitality...it is just like coming to the home of a dear brother,” he added.“We Chinese refer to Pakistanis as our good friends, good neighbours, good partners and brothers. We would elevate our relations to all-weather strategic partnership.”
President Xi said he and his colleagues had been overwhelmed by the warm welcome extended to them by Pakistan.“During my current visit, President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and I jointly agreed to elevate the China-Pakistan relations to an all-weather strategic partnership. By this, we mean we will move together in rain and sunshine,” he said.
President Xi also announced that China firmly supported Pakistan’s commitment to uphold its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity.He said both Pakistan and China had a shared destiny and both will work together to create a bright future for their peoples.
“Our friendship is often termed ‘higher than the Himalayas, deeper than the ocean and sweeter than honey’ by the Pakistani brothers, while Chinese people refer to Pakistani people as good friends, good partners and good brothers and we consider Pakistan as our ‘Iron Brother’.
“I remember the time when China was completely isolated in the world and Pakistan was the country that had stood by China in testing times. Pakistan opened its airspace for us when we needed it the most, and was the first country to initiate diplomatic relations with us,” he said.
Speaking about the Taliban attack at the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar, Jinping said: “We have invited some of the students and their families to spend some time in China so that the trauma they had suffered could be healed with the care of our people.”
Speaking about the rescue of stranded Pakistani and Chinese citizens in Yemen, he said: “In the most recent evacuation mission in Yemen, the Chinese Navy evacuated 176 Pakistanis from the port of Aden. And the Pakistani Navy evacuated eight Chinese students from Mukalla airport. The Pakistani commander of the ship gave the order that they will not leave until all the Chinese students were onboard. This again shows that Pakistan-China friendship is indeed deeper than the ocean,” he said.
President Xi Jinping said the Pakistani economy had the capability to transform itself into an ‘Asian Tiger’ and said the Economic Corridor project will benefit not only the region but also every citizen of Pakistan.
He said over the past 60 years, Pakistan in the face of many domestic and international problems had risen up to challenges and upheld its sovereignty, territorial integrity besides achieving significant national and economic development.
Appreciating Pakistan’s sacrifices in the war on terror, he said it had endured enormous sacrifices in upholding peace and stability in the region and the world at large. He said Pakistan, in the new century, stood in the forefront of the war on terror.
President Xi announced that his country will provide assistance for development and reconstruction of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). He said the Chinese people had great respect for the people of Pakistan and had very good wishes for the development and progress of Pakistan.
“I chose Pakistan as the first country to visit this year which reflects our deep-rooted love and affection besides our desire to give a new impetus to our relations.
“Our friendship is a great asset to the future generations, as both the countries are knitted in the deep bonds of culture and civilisations.”Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, he said, the two countries had made concerted efforts to forge strong relations and pursue development.
“We have always supported each other on core issues. Such a friendship is truly unique,” he added.He pointed out that Pakistan was one of the first countries that recognised China and it was the first Islamic country to set up diplomatic relations with Beijing.
The Chinese president acknowledged that Pakistan always came forward with selfless and valuable assistance whenever China was hit by difficult times. Similarly, he said, China came to Pakistan’s help whenever the need arose.
In this regard, he mentioned the assistance extended by Pakistan to China in the 2008 earthquake and the Chinese assistance to Pakistan in the 2010 floods.President Xi said the two countries should adopt a foreign policy of peace, as the defining feature was the deep political mutual trust.
“We should support each other and firmly uphold sovereignty, territorial integrity and mutual respect of each other. The two countries should adopt a common development strategy.”
He said the Economic Corridor was the focal point of mutual development, adding the Gwadar Port, energy and industrial projects were the other key areas of cooperation between the two countries.
“The planning and layout of this corridor should cover all areas of Pakistan so that entire population of Pakistan can benefit,” he asserted.
President Xi said multi-billion worth of agreements signed between the two countries would lead to substantial progress in the relations and China would continue to play its role.
“We should continue to support each other on core issues and remain each other’s dependable partners. This year is being observed as a year of friendly exchanges and we should enhance frequent high level exchanges in order to consolidate the relations,” he added.
Besides, he said the cultural centers and media organisations should also conduct diverse events for the promotion of relations between the two countries.
He said groups of 100 youths from both countries should also visit each other’s countries to strengthen the people-to-people contacts.
He announced that his country will make arrangements to provide training to 2,000 Pakistani youths in diverse fields in the next five years and 1,000 teaching staff will be trained in Chinese language. He said China believed in common development and it will take along Pakistan on this path of development.
President Xi Jinping said both the friendly countries should maintain strategic communication on regional and international issues.
He said China supported Pakistan’s constructive role in Afghanistan. “Both the countries share common threats and they should stick together to confront them. China will enhance Pakistan’s capability to fight terrorism and meet non-traditional threats.”
He said strong relations with Pakistan will remain a top priority of their diplomatic agenda.
“Regardless of changes at the international level, we will continue to see Pakistan in strategic and long-term perspective.”
The Chinese president said China was a peace-loving country and it wanted to promote relations with all the South Asian countries. “We will open in all respects in order to build an open economy,” he added.
He said the Silk Route project was a significant move on the part of China to fully open up.President Xi said Pakistan was a great country and its people were kind, brave and dignified in character.