BEIJING: President Asif Ali Zardari’s ongoing official visit to China has been long-expected by the Chinese people, and this visit bears great significance.
This was stated by Prof. Cheng Xizhong, Senior Research Fellow at the Charhar Institute, a non-governmental Chinese think-tank on diplomacy and international studies based in Beijing.
During the first leg of his visit, President Zardari attended and addressed the Second Golden Panda Awards International Culture Forum in Chengdu, Sichuan Province of China, highlighting the power of art and culture in uniting people and connecting civilizations. President Zardari also reaffirmed Pakistan’s full support for China’s vision of “civilization exchange and mutual learning”. The Chinese scholar remarked that President Zardari’s attendance at this forum has injected new vitality into China-Pakistan cultural exchanges, mutual understanding and cultural recognition between the two peoples.
In Chengdu, President Zardari is inspecting province’s economic and social development. Sichuan Province has maintained close exchanges with Pakistan in such fields as trade and investment, agricultural cooperation, scientific and technological exchanges, educational cooperation, and cultural tourism.
The President’s visit will help showcase Sichuan’s development achievements and further promote cooperation between Sichuan and Pakistan in various fields, he added.
As part of his current visit to China, President Zardari will also travel to Shanghai, a major economic hub and international metropolis of China, which has achieved remarkable outcomes in such fields as finance, trade and technological R&D. –Agencies
