70th anniversary of diplomatic ties: Pak, China presidents, PMs exchange greetings

ISLAMABAD: The prime ministers and presidents of Pakistan and China have congratulated the two nations on the occasion of 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had a telephonic conversation with the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and stressed the need to continue with the momentum of high-level exchanges to further diversify and deepen strategic cooperation between the two countries.

Both leaders reaffirmed their resolve to further solidify Pakistan-China bilateral relations. During the call, 70th anniversary of establishment of Pakistan-China diplomatic ties, bilateral relations and vaccine cooperation were discussed.

The prime minister congratulated Premier Le Keqiang and the Chinese leadership for successful landing of Chinese spacecraft on Mars, which showed rising technological prowess of China.

Imran Khan emphasised that with collective and tireless efforts over the years, Pakistan and China had transformed their relationship into an “All-Weather Strategic Co-operative Partnership”.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he noted, was a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative and has generated economic activity, employment and will further enhance bilateral and regional trade.

It is pertinent that the year 2021 is a special occasion as it marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China. The prime minister congratulated the Chinese premier at the special occasion, which will be celebrated by both sides in a befitting manner.

The prime minister highlighted Pakistan-China cooperation in fighting COVID-19 and deeply appreciated China’s continued support to Pakistan in supply of corona vaccine.

He thanked China for providing assistance to National Institute of Health (NIH) for establishing vaccine manufacturing facility in Pakistan which will further solidify Pakistan’s efforts to combat COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan in a letter to his Chinese counterpart stated that on behalf of the government and people of Pakistan, as well as on his own behalf, he wishes to extend heartiest felicitations on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan.

“21st May 1951, the day when our relations were formally established, has been a watershed moment in our history. Our two people and successive leaderships and governments have made indefatigable efforts to foster, cement, and strengthen our ties. Our time-tested relationship is built around lasting values of mutual respect, mutual trust, and mutual understanding,” he wrote.

“We are immensely grateful to China for the invaluable support it extended to us to fight COVID-19 since its outbreak in December 2019. The vaccine and the equipment provided by China to contain the pandemic played a crucial role in saving precious human lives in Pakistan. We will continue to support China’s efforts to combat the pandemic both at regional and global level,” he said.

Meanwhile, President Dr Arif Alvi and Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to deepen bilateral cooperation and achieve high quality development of CPEC.

Both the leaders exchanged congratulatory letters to each other wherein they extended greetings to each other on behalf of their respective governments and people.

“On this historic occasion, we reaffirm our commitment to further elevate Pakistan-China friendship to new heights and build closer China-Pakistan Community of shared future in the new era,” President Alvi said in his letter to President Xi Jinping.

In his letter, Xi Jinping said China and Pakistan were all-weather strategic cooperative partners that stood firmly by each other on issues of core interests and major concerns.

“The mutual trust and friendship between the two countries have gone through the test of 70 years of international changes and remain rock-solid, and have become the most valuable strategic asset of the two peoples,” he stated.