Online award ceremony for drawing contest

China’s Zhengzhou province, Gwadar arrange programme simultaneously

BEIJING:

An online award ceremony related to a drawing contest between students of middle school in China’s Henan province and Balochistan’s Gwadar district held in Zhengzhou and Gwadar simultaneously, while the Sister School Contract Signing Ceremony was also held online.

Since the beginning of 2021, the drawing contest themed “Pakistan in my heart” and “China in my heart” started among students of the Affiliated Middle School of Henan Normal University, Zhengzhou No 122 Middle School and Gwadar Faqeer Middle School.

Nearly 20,000 Chinese and Pakistani teens attended the contest to depict their understanding and expectation of each other's country, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), according to a report published by China Economic Net (CEN) on Saturday.

“Henan, the cradle of the Chinese nation and civilization, is an important province in China in terms of population, society, economy, science and technology. For crucial importance to China-Pakistan friendly relations, Henan devotes to developing bilateral economy, establishing sister city ties and promoting cultural exchanges with Pakistan," Henan Vice Governor Huo Jinhua said, while addressing the ceremony.

Pakistan Ambassador to China Moinul Haque, in his address, said Pakistanis would never forget the selfless assistance given to them by the Chinese government and people.

"Particularly at the most difficult moment when the epidemic was raging, China provided Pakistan with urgently needed Covid-19 vaccines,” he said, adding the neighbouring country saved incredible amount of lives in Pakistan.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong underlined that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic partners.

"As the flagship project of the BRI, the CPEC has made great contributions to Pakistan's economic development and regional interconnection, while its construction is putting more emphasis on social welfare and people's livelihood," he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2021.