BEIJING
\nPakistan\u2019s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi marked the end of his posting with a farewell reception at Pakistan House in Beijing, expressing gratitude to Chinese friends and colleagues while highlighting the enduring friendship and expanding cooperation between Pakistan and China.
\nThe reception brought together Chinese officials and diplomats, members of the Pakistani community, media representatives, business representatives and members of the diplomatic corps, reflecting the broad network of people-to-people and institutional ties connecting the two countries.
\nReflecting on his nearly 34-month tenure in China, Hashmi said extensive travel across the country had given him a deeper understanding of China\u2019s development experience and its approach to international cooperation, China Economic Net (CEN) reported.
\n\u201cThat gave me some insight, and I think I learned a few things, which helped me better understand initiatives centered on shared development, security and civilization,\u201d he said. Hashmi said these experiences had also helped him better understand concepts such as \u201cshared prosperity,\u201d \u201cshared development,\u201d \u201cwin-win\u201d cooperation and a \u201cshared future.\u201d
\nHashmi said he was deeply impressed by what he described as the wisdom and long-term thinking behind China\u2019s development. During his tenure, Hashmi said efforts were made to broaden Pakistan-China engagement beyond government-to-government relations, with greater emphasis on business-to-business and people-to-people exchanges.
\nAmong the initiatives, he cited a Pakistan-China fashion show held at the Great Wall, cultural concerts, mango festivals and a Pakistan food festival in Chengdu, describing such activities as platforms for bringing the people and cultures of the two countries closer.
\n\u201cWe were able to achieve many things on the business-to-business level and also people-to-people,\u201d Hashmi said. He also highlighted the establishment of four new Pakistan Studies Centers in China, in Shenzhen, Shandong, Liaoning and Hangzhou.
\nAccording to Hashmi, such platforms can promote mutual understanding and strengthen cooperation in areas including education, research, trade, investment and business.
\n\u201cThese are great platforms to promote Pakistan-China friendship, understanding, and more and more business, investment, trade,\u201d he said.
\nHashmi also pointed to efforts to deepen subnational cooperation, including the establishment of the sister-province relationship between Pakistan\u2019s Punjab Province and China\u2019s Zhejiang Province, as well as moves to develop new ties involving Liaoning and Hunan.
\nSpeaking about Pakistan-China relations, Hashmi described the bilateral friendship as \u201cunique\u201d and \u201cvery special,\u201d particularly as the two countries mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year.
\n\u201cDespite our very different cultures, differences in language, governance systems, and political and economic systems, we have been able to forge one of the most enduring interstate relationships,\u201d he said.
\nHe said the strength of the relationship had been built through the efforts of generations of leaders, diplomats and people from both countries, resulting in what Pakistan and China commonly describe as an \u201cironclad friendship.\u201d
\nHashmi noted Pakistan\u2019s support for China\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative, as well as the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative and Global Governance Initiative. \u201cPakistan, of course, was always among the first countries to lend support to these initiatives by President Xi Jinping,\u201d he said.
\nHashmi expressed appreciation to Chinese officials and colleagues for their friendship, cooperation and support throughout his posting. \u201cWithout your support and without your assistance and without your friendship, what we were able to achieve for Pakistan and China would not have been possible,\u201d he said.
\nHe also thanked his colleagues at the Pakistan Embassy and the country\u2019s consulates in China, describing the achievements during his tenure as an \u201cexcellent team effort.\u201d The ambassador also acknowledged the contribution of his wife, Marium Mahmood, for her support throughout his tenure and her involvement in activities connecting the spouses of heads of diplomatic missions in Beijing.
\nHashmi\u2019s departure comes as Pakistan and China mark 75 years of diplomatic relations, with both countries continuing to emphasize people-to-people exchanges, trade, investment, cultural cooperation and connectivity as important areas of bilateral cooperation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BEIJING Pakistan\u2019s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi marked the end of his posting with a farewell reception at Pakistan House in Beijing, expressing gratitude to Chinese friends and colleagues while highlighting the enduring friendship and expanding cooperation between Pakistan and China. The reception brought together Chinese officials and diplomats, members of the Pakistani community, media […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":566409,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-566484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n