-70th anniversary of diplomatic ties
By Ajmal Khan Yousafzai
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China will hold a virtual ceremony to be simultaneously held in Islamabad and Beijing on March 2 (today), to formally commence celebrations on 70th anniversary of the diplomatic relations.
“The year 2021 marks the completion of 70 years of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the People’s Republic of China, established on May 21, 1951,” a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday said. Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi and China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will lead the ceremony on their respective sides. Both countries will be organizing a series of events throughout the year to commemorate this historic milestone in a befitting manner, it added.
On 69th anniversary which is being celebrated last year the then China Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing said in a video posted on the Chinese Embassy twitter account that, “Celebrating the 69th Anniversary of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations: We are iron brothers and working together for our well-being and development, as well as for the promotion of regional peace and development.”
In 2013, the strategic cooperative partnership between the People’s Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was further enhanced, and bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields deepened. It is pertinent to note that Pakistan and China established their diplomatic relations on 21 May 1951 while the first high-level official delegation visited China just after three months of liberation, on the 4th of January 1950.
