Chinese scholars, ex-diplomats discuss ways to further strengthen Pak, China friendship in 2013

BEIJING: A group of Chinese scholars, academicians, ex-diplomats including a former ambassador reviewed Pakistan-China relations and the way to take this friendship to new heights in future, at a seminar held in Peking University.

Addressing the participants of the seminar at a reception on Thursday evening, held at the Pakistan Embassy, Acting Ambassador, Zahoor Ahmed said that the year 2012 saw a busy schedule of activities and productive meetings were held between the two sides in various areas including economy, defence, culture and people to people contacts.

He said that President Asif Ali Zardari and incumbent Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf who visited China this year held constructive meetings with the Chinese leadership.

President Zardari, he said, had a meeting with Vice President, Xi Jinping, during his visit to China for attending the Beijing SCO summit in June this year.

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf also had a wide ranging discussion with the Chinese leadership including Premier Wen Jiabao when he visited Tianjin for attending the World Economic Forum New Champions meeting.

Appreciating, China's investment in Pakistan, Zahoor said that Chinese enterprises, especially those working in energy sector were making huge investment in the country to overcome the power shortage. Clean energy, he said, is one of the priority areas of investment.

Besides, we have seen a great amount of cooperation in economic and banking sectors, in this regard he pointed out that this year the central banks of both the countries have signed an agreement for investment in bond market.

On future relations, Zahoor expressed the confidence that Pakistan-China relations will always remain strong.

Referring to the large participation of youth in the Seminar, Zahoor Ahmed said it illustrated China's young generation's keen interest in Pakistan-China relations.

Earliter, Professor Teng Meng Sheng, Director Pakistan Study Centre, terming the seminar very productive, said that participants presented various proposals to deepen people to people contacts and strengthen economic ties between Pakistan and China to commensurate with political and defence relations.

He said the Centre has chalked out a number of activities for the next year including writing articles in newspapers aimed at promoting friendship between the two countries.

Talking to APP, Professor Teng said that he has been organizing such seminars since 2007.

China's former Ambassador to Pakistan, Lu Shulin on behalf of the participants of the Seminar also mentioned that there is a dire need to make efforts to expand economic and trade relations between the two countries. "Strengthening economic relations between the two countries is need of the hour," remarked Ambassador Lu who spoke fluently in Urdu.

Prominent among other participants of the seminar were Former Consul General in Karachi An Qiguang, former Chief Counsellor Wei Weikang and a number of students, media persons, scholars and academician.

The 2-day seminar "Pakistan-China relations in 2012" organized by Pakistan Study Centre working in prestigious Peking University is scheduled to conclude on Saturday.