Pakistan had been looking towards the West in the past but time had come to divert its attention to the East, said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi as he noted Chinese support was without any condition. He was addressing the 'Joint celebration for the Chinese spring festival co-organised by foreign office and Chinese Embassy,' here on Thursday.
The foreign minister said that the year 2011 has been declared a 'friendship' year by both the countries. During the year we will celebrate 60 years of our relationship. In these 60 years, the world has changed and so does China for which there is recognition across the world of Chinese economic growth. It is the country being views as a helper to the countries including the US in recession. We would want to benefit from the economic power of China, he added.
Qureshi underlined the need for people to people contact for better understanding. Earlier, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Liu Jain highlighted the remarkable development in Pak-China relationship and said, "let us work together for new contribution of our all weather friendship."
He welcomed the guests to the celebrations and said such gatherings would take place on regular basis. The programme also included performances of Pakistani and Chinese artists, particularly Chinese Artists who sang some of Pakistani songs in Urdu. The spring Festival, widely known as Chinese New Year in the west, is the most important traditional festival and a public holiday in China. The 2011 Chinese New Year starts in February 3. It is the year of rabbit.