Remarks by Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi Foreign Minister of Pakistan, at the Chinese Lunar New Year Party on 21st January 2009

(2009-01-21)

Excellency Ambassador LO-CHAO-HUI,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a matter of great pleasure for me to join our Chinese friends in celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year. Let me congratulate our Chinese friends on this festive occasion.

I wish to thank the Chinese Ambassador, Madame and the Embassy colleagues for their gracious hospitality.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Ambassador, on the conferment of Hilal-e-Quaid-e-Azam, in recognition of his valued contribution towards enhancing Pak-China relations.

I am told that a lot of hard work has been put in for the cultural show tonight. Let me, in advance, pay tributes to the performers from the Foreign Office, the Chinese Embassy, Pakistan Navy and others.

It is a matter of great satisfaction that the sapling of our friendship, nurtured over five decades, has today become a full blown fruit-bearing tree. Our relationship has truly become multi-dimensional. It is unique and ever growing. It is based on the ethos of the two people.

We have complete trust, mutual understanding and convergence of views on bilateral, regional and international issues. In recent years, our trade and economic relationship has become the centre-piece of our bilateral relations.
Pakistanregards its relations with China as the corner-stone of its Foreign Policy and remains committed to further deepening these ties.

I am confident that our relations, which have withstood regional and global changes, will continue to flourish in the days ahead and move from generation to generation. Here I want to acknowledge the positive contribution of the Ambassador in the promotion of bilateral relations.

I wish to, once again, thank the Chinese Embassy for this pleasant evening.

Islamabad
21 January 2009

034/2009