Building a community with a shared future

China and Pakistan mark 73rd anniversary of diplomatic ties and look back at a rewarding and close friendship set for greatness

This year marks the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan, a partnership that has stood the test of time and evolved into a multifaceted and robust alliance. The bilateral ties between the two countries have been characterized by mutual respect, strategic cooperation and economic collaboration.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong said at a recent event commemorating the anniversary in Islamabad that the friendship between China and Pakistan has grown into a towering tree, deeply rooted in the hearts of the peoples of both nations.

Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, the ironclad friendship has translated into pragmatic cooperation, injecting momentum into the building of a community with a shared future.

Jiang said that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and is crucial in achieving the goals and tasks of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25). This year also marks the beginning of the new Pakistani government's comprehensive policy implementation and is an important year for the Pakistani people to create a new chapter in national development.

Both China and Pakistan are developing countries facing the tasks of bolstering their economies and improving the livelihoods of their people. Against the backdrop of international instability and a declining world economy, China is willing to provide new opportunities for world development with achievements in Chinese-style modernization, benefiting its friend, Pakistan, first, Jiang said.

"We are willing to work with Pakistan to implement the high-level consensus of the two countries, promote the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between China and Pakistan to a new level, achieve new results and truly benefit the two countries and their peoples. We are willing to further promote high-quality cooperation with Pakistan under the Belt and Road Initiative," he added.

One of the most significant milestones in China-Pakistan relations is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project under the BRI. Launched in 2013, the CPEC aims to enhance infrastructure, energy and trade connectivity between the two countries, with a vision to transform Pakistan's economic landscape.

At the 13th session of the Joint Cooperation Committee under the CPEC on May 24, China and Pakistan identified new tasks for the second phase. They are to jointly build a growth corridor, a livelihood-enhancing corridor, an innovation corridor, a green corridor and an open corridor, aligning them with Pakistan's development framework and priorities.

Pakistani Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal stated that the CPEC has transformed Pakistan's energy and infrastructure landscape, driving economic development and benefiting local people. He said that the CPEC is a benchmark of the friendship between the two countries, laying a solid foundation for economic cooperation.

Iqbal emphasized the progress CPEC has made since its inception in 2013, especially in the energy sector. "We have completed 16 projects, with a generation capacity of 8,020 megawatts, along with two coal mines and a 660-kilovolt high voltage direct current transmission line."

"As we shift our focus from government-to-government to business-to-business cooperation in the next phase of the CPEC, we emphasize high-quality development in industrialization, agriculture, and science and information technologies," he said.

Pakistani Ambassador to China Khalil-ur-Rahman Hashmi said in his recent speech commemorating the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan that the two nations have nurtured a unique and exemplary relationship, characterized by mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual support and mutual benefit. The strategic partnership remains a driving force for peace, security and development.

"Pakistan and China are making unremitting efforts to further promote investment and trade cooperation, and advance educational, scientific and technological, and cultural exchanges to benefit our peoples. More recently, our space cooperation has gained enhanced momentum. Our friendship has now reached the depths of outer space.

"We look to the future with hope and determination to advance our partnership in new technologies, infrastructure and sustainable development."

Hashmi said that over the past decade, the CPEC has been a tremendous success, with investments of $26 billion in energy and infrastructure. These have created 230,000 jobs, generated more than 8,000 MW of electricity, laid more than 800 kilometers of optical fiber cables between China and Pakistan, and erected more than 800 km of transmission lines, creating a solid foundation for Pakistan's accelerated economic growth.

The focus of the second phase under the CPEC will be on industrial cooperation, emphasizing high-quality development and sectors such as agriculture, mining, information technology and energy. The two countries are determined to elevate the next phase of CPEC construction to new heights, he said.

In his article titled Carrying Forward the Spirit of Diplomacy and Working Together for a Shared Future published in Pakistani media, Chinese Consul General in Lahore Zhao Shiren said that over the past 73 years, China and Pakistan have been partners in win-win cooperation. The trade volume between the two countries has grown from more than $10 million in 1973 to more than $20 billion in 2023.

As a flagship project of the BRI, the CPEC has steadily advanced, promoting Pakistan's economic and social development and bringing tangible benefits to the local people.

Both sides agreed to expedite major connectivity projects such as the upgrade of the Main Line-1 railway, Gwadar Port and the second phase realignment of the Karakoram Highway. They also agreed to strengthen cooperation in fields such as agriculture, industrial parks, mining and IT, according to local conditions, enhancing Pakistan's sustainable development capacity.

Both China and Pakistan are at critical stages of national development. China is focusing on bolstering high-quality development and high-level opening-up, comprehensively advancing the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernization. Pakistan is also striving for economic and social transformation, seeking greater development.

Zhao said that he is confident in this noble cause shared by China and Pakistan, and believes that the time-tested and unbreakable relationship between the two countries will continue to flourish and reach new heights.

China and Pakistan established trade relations and began such activities in the early 1950s. In January 1963, the two countries signed their first trade agreement. Then in October 1982, they established the China-Pakistan Joint Committee on Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technological Cooperation.

Through joint efforts, economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has made significant progress. In 2006, the two countries signed a free trade agreement, which came into effect in July 2007.By 2011, China became Pakistan's largest trading partner.

The total bilateral trade volume between China and Pakistan in 2023 was $20.76 billion. Of this, China's exports to Pakistan reached $17.3 billion and China's imports from Pakistan were $3.46 billion, according to the Ministry of Commerce of China.

wangjinhui@chinadaily.com.cn