Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Newly appointed ambassador of China to Pakistan H.E Nong Rong has expressed his best wishes for the strong bond between Pakistan and China. He said that both countries have always stood with each other, shared joy and sorrow, understood, and supported each other’s core interests. He reiterated China’s commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperative and strategic partnership. Moreover, he said that President Xi Jinping considers China and Pakistan as true friends who go through thick and thin together and good brothers who share weal and woe. While commenting on CPEC, he said that both countries should ensure high-quality development of the corridor.
I am honoured to be the 18th Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
A few days ago, I departed from Beijing, flew over the towering Karakorum Mountains and arrived in the beautiful city of Islamabad with joy.
Although this is my first visit to this country, Pakistan is not at all unfamiliar to me.
China and Pakistan are closely interdependent neighbors linked by mountains and rivers. Coming here is just like visiting my brother’s home. The Chinese people have created a unique name for Pakistan: Iron Brother to describe the preciousness of the all-weather friendship between China and Pakistan.
Over the past 69 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan, no matter how the international situation changed, our two countries have always stood with each other, sharing joy and sorrow, understanding and supporting each other’s core interests. China-Pakistan relations have stood at the forefront of the times and been the model of state-to-state friendly coexistence.
In 2015, President Xi Jinping paid a historic state visit to Pakistan. The leaders of the two countries upgraded China-Pakistan relations to the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, rendering China-Pakistan traditional friendship new connotations and bringing China-Pakistan relations to a new height. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s thrice visits to China and four meetings with President Xi Jinping after assumed office further consolidated political trust between the two countries.
In aligning Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategy of “Naya Pakistan”, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is progressing smoothly. The exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in fields such as trade and investment, science and technology, culture and education, defence and security have deepened continuously and benefited the two peoples.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic this year, China and Pakistan have firmly supported and generously helped each other, and set a model for international cooperation against the pandemic.
As President Xi Jinping said to President Dr. Arif Alvi, China and Pakistan are true friends who go through thick and thin together, and good brothers who share weal and woe.
