ISLAMABAD
China is willing to collaborate with Pakistan to implement the important outcomes of President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit and advance the joint Action Plan 2025-29 to foster an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future.
Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong in his article following President Zardari’s recent visit to China said “the trip added new chapters to the legendary China-Pakistan friendship, advanced practical bilateral cooperation, and deepened the bond between our two peoples”. President Asif Ali Zardari was invited to attend the opening ceremony of the 2025 Golden Panda International Cultural Forum, and subsequently paid visits to Sichuan Province, Shanghai Municipality, and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, from September 12-21.
This marked President Zardari’s second visit to China following his state visit in February this year, which the Chinese ambassador termed as a “vivid testament to his profound affection for the Chinese people and great importance attached to China-Pakistan relations”. Ambassador Jiang Zaidong recalled an article penned by President Zardari for China Daily where he regarded China as “my home away from home”.
He said during this journey to his “home away from home”, President Zardari traversed three provincial-level administrative regions, visited four destinations, met with heads of local governments, and engaged with ordinary Chinese citizens. “This is a journey of civilization and innovation, shaped by mutual commitment,” he said the ambassador wrote in length about President Zardari’s diverse interactions at various platforms, calling it of profound importance for the bond between the two countries.
At the opening ceremony of the 2025 Golden Panda International Cultural Forum held in Chengdu, Sichuan, he said, President Zardari delivered a speech, praising the forum for using the universal language of art to bridge divides and connects communities across the globe. He emphasized that this stands as a vivid practice of the Global Civilization Initiative, embodying the concepts of diversity of civilizations, equality among cultures, people-to-people exchanges, and cultural dialogue as a counter to narratives of a clash of civilizations.
“This not only underscores the profound significance of the Golden Panda Forum in fostering mutual learning among world civilizations, but also directly conveys the earnest aspirations of the two peoples to deepen China-Pakistan people-to-people and cultural exchanges,” he said.
He mentioned the heart-warming interactions between the two nations: the film BaTie Girl graced screens in both countries; the Gandhara Art Exhibition made its debut to the Palace Museum in China; Pakistani mangoes became a sensation among Chinese netizens; the “Tea for Harmony”
Cultural activity won widespread popularity in Pakistan; numerous Chinese universities now offer Urdu programs while a “Study-in-China” fever sweeps through Pakistan’s younger generation; the CPEC Consortium of Universities, boasting over 130 members, was officially established; and First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari had an intimate encounter with giant pandas in Chengdu.
