ISLAMABAD: The friendship between China and Pakistan has been termed as "higher than mountains, deeper than oceans, stronger than steel and sweeter than honey".
Generations of leaders and people from both countries have devoted energy to the bilateral relationship, Xinhua reported on Wednesday.
On his first visit to Pakistan, Chinese President Xi Jinping said it was like "visiting the home of my own brother".
As neighbours, China and Pakistan have always been ready to extend a helping hand. A Chinese rescue team was the first to arrive in 2005 when a 7.8 magnitude quake jolted Pakistan,
and the Pakistani government contributed all of its tents, including those in strategic reserves, to China's quake-stricken areas in Sichuan in 2008.
Chinese netizens even coined the term "Iron Pak" to refer to the unbreakable ties between the two countries. As China spends more efforts building a "community of common destiny" with Pakistan, economic cooperation is also on the rise.
In addition to rising trade and mutual investment, China and Pakistan are currently working together on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project aimed at boosting connectivity between the two neighbours and part of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.
The project, which centers on the Gwadar Port as well as energy, infrastructure and industrial cooperation, will drive development across Pakistan and deliver tangible benefits to its people.
Once completed, the CPEC will link not only the border areas of the two nations, but also land-locked central Asian countries such as Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
China and Pakistan on Tuesday issued a joint declaration in which the two set a target to lift bilateral trade to 20 billion US dollars in three years, up from the current 16 billion dollars.
The spillover effect from China-Pakistan cooperation is not confined to the economic arena.
As President Xi wrote in an op-ed ahead of his visit, the two countries are presented with a great chance to "build the China-Pakistan community of common destiny and set a fine example for efforts by China and its neighbouring countries."
What China pursues is not just the interests of the Chinese people, but also the common interests of people around the world. The world should welcome a close China-Pakistan friendship.
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