Everlasting friends: Pakistani leaders look forth to Chinese premier’s visit

Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s visit will focus on the strategic partnership between both countries.

BEIJING: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan is looking forward to the arrival of Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, who will visit Pakistan from December 17 onwards.

We are anxiously waiting for his visit, and it’s not only about government-to-government contacts with China, it’s also about people-to-people contacts,” Gilani said in an interview with Xinhua in Islamabad.

The premier added that there are landmark buildings in the federal capital, which reflect the deep rooted friendship between Pakistan and China. In an interview ahead of premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to Pakistan starting from Friday (today) Prime Minister Gilani mentioned Zhou Enlai Avenue, Jinnah Sports Complex and the newly-built Pakistan-China Friendship Centre as symbols of the all-weather friendship. “They are the symbols of the unity and the bond between China and Pakistan,” Gilani remarked.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s ambassador to China has said that Pakistan expects China to play a ‘’bigger role’’ in persuading India to hold a sustainable dialogue with it to resolve Kashmir and other issues. “We hope China will, over time, be able to persuade India to have sustainable dialogue with Pakistan for the resolution of all outstanding issues, including Kashmir,” Ambassador Masood Khan told state-run Global Times in an interview.

“The most important thing we have achieved over this period is the complete political reliability between our sides,” he said. Khan attributed the “solid friendship” to the mutual trust and respect existing between Beijing and Islamabad.

During his three-day official visit to Pakistan, Wen will meet with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani to discuss a wide range of topics. Prime Minister Gilani said Wen’s visit will focus on the strategic partnership, economic and trade cooperation. He further said that his father visited China in 1956 and met with Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai, and he himself had visited China many times.

The prime minister said Pakistan is grateful to China for its prompt assistance to the flood-hit people.  In the aftermath of the unprecedented flooding in Pakistan in July, China pledged 250 million dollars in aid, besides sending three medical teams and a helicopter rescue team. The year will mark the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two neighbours.

“Pakistan has declared it (2011) as the Pakistan-China Friendship Year’, during which a number of events will be organised,” said the prime minister.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2010.