By Jiang Zaidong
At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, President Asif Ali Zardari will pay a state visit to China from February 4 to February 8. This visit coincides with the 10th anniversary of President Xi Jinping’s historic visit to Pakistan in 2015, as well as the joyous occasion of the Chinese New Year celebrations. The visit holds great significance in charting the course for China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperation and guiding the direction for our bilateral relations amid profound changes unseen in a century.
High-level strategic guidance provides fundamental guarantee for the development of China-Pakistan relations. It is because President Xi Jinping and Pakistani leaders positioned China-Pakistan relations as All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership that the bilateral relations have grown stronger despite global transformations. It is because of President Xi Jinping’s planning and promotion that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has progressed from the “1+4” layout to a new phase of building the upgraded version.
President Xi Jinping and President Zardari have maintained close communication, reached important consensus and provided fundamental guidance on advancing our all-weather strategic cooperation. As President Zardari pointed out, China and Pakistan are both at the critical stage of our development. Pakistan is striving for sustainable and inclusive economic growth, while China remains committed to the pursuit of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In this noble endeavor, Pakistan will always be China’s ironclad brother, reliable friend, and trustworthy partner.
Practical cooperation in various fields has laid a solid foundation for the development of China-Pakistan relations. In the past year, China-Pakistan practical cooperation has moved forward steadily despite the adverse impact of the external environment.
Just on December 1 last year, the Khunjerab Pass was officially open all year round, becoming an important landmark for the progress of China-Pakistan cooperation in the new era; on December 30, the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit-5 (C-5) has officially started construction, which will bring 40,000 jobs to the local people; not long ago, Gwadar New International Airport welcomed its first domestic and international commercial flights, opening up a new prospect for promoting airport and port linkage; A team of Chinese experts traveled thousands of miles to Pakistan to successfully perform operations on children with congenital heart disease, allowing them to regain health and restoring hope for their families.
These tangible results reflect the resilient certainty of China-Pakistan cooperation in the uncertain world. We are willing to continue to strengthen the synergy of development strategies with Pakistan, deepen mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, build the upgraded version of CPEC, and better benefit the two peoples.
Security cooperation has provided protection for the development of China-Pakistan relations. President Xi Jinping pointed out that our cooperation in the security and economic fields reinforce each other, and the two wheels must be advanced simultaneously. A safe and stable environment is indispensable for China-Pakistan practical cooperation including CPEC construction. We speak highly of Pakistan’s unremitting efforts and huge sacrifices in combating terrorism, and it’s important contributions to maintaining international peace and security.
The two sides reiterate our “zero tolerance” attitude to combat all forms of terrorism, agree to further strengthen bilateral and multilateral anti-terrorism cooperation, jointly oppose the politicizing and instrumentalizing of anti-terrorism issues, and are willing to work with the international community to strengthen multilateral anti-terrorism cooperation under the framework of the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other frameworks. At the same time, China-Pakistan strategic defense and security cooperation plays an irreplaceable and important role in maintaining regional peace and stability. We are willing to continue to maintain the momentum of exchanges between the two militaries and continuously improve the level of defense cooperation.
The all-weather friendship has laid a solid foundation for the development of China-Pakistan relations. As good neighbors, good friends, good partners, and good brothers, the peoples of our two countries have stood together through thick and thin, and our iron-clad friendship has withstood the test of time. History will remember that at critical moments such as the restoration of the People’s Republic of China’s lawful seat in the United Nations, the safeguarding of national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the confrontation of natural disasters, our iron-brother Pakistan has always stepped forward to offer valuable help and firm support.
Conversely, when Pakistan needed assistance, China has always been its strong backing. We still recall the touching story of Pakistan’s generous donation of tents during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, as well as the mutual support between the two countries in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. At present, China is continuously aiding Pakistan in its recovery and reconstruction from the “flood of the century” in 2022. The China-Pakistan friendship is constantly tested and enhanced in practice. We believe that during this visit, the two sides will demonstrate their firm support for each other’s core interests and major concerns, highlight the essence of the all-weather friendship, and promote the steady and long-term development of bilateral relations.
In a turbulent and changing world, the healthy and stable, robustly developing China-Pakistan relations holds great significance for regional peace and prosperity. Both China and Pakistan are developing countries, facing the historical task of developing their economies and improving people’s livelihoods.
Taking this visit as an opportunity, the two sides will deepen exchanges of governance experience and mutual learning between civilizations, promote the alignment of development concepts and coordination of policy, continuously enrich the connotation of the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, and make new contributions to an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.
We wish President Zardari a successful visit to China! We wish China-Pakistan cooperation great fortune in the Year of the Snake! We wish our iron-clad friendship to last forever!
The author is Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan.
