ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: President Mamnoon Hussain has said that Pakistan and China have witnessed historic expansion and depth in their bilateral relations during the last four years, and hoped that this warmth will continue to further grow in the coming generations.
Talking to the outgoing Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong at the Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad on Thursday, the president said that this period will always be remembered as a golden era of Pak-China relations.
Lauding the contribution of Sun Weidong for strengthening of Pakistan-China relations, the president said that outgoing Chinese envoy worked tirelessly to further enhance the Pak-China relations and his services in this regard will always be remembered.
The president underscored that Pakistan and China are iron brothers and will always stand by each other. He highlighted that the magnificent project of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was initiated during the tenure of Ambassador Sun Weidong and the development work was also carried out on fast track basis.
President Mamnoon emphasized that Sun Weidong is a true friend of Pakistan who along-with his wife Madame Bao Jiqing rendered invaluable services to further bring the people of two countries closer.
Earlier, the president conferred the award of Hilal-i-Pakistan on the outgoing Chinese ambassador Sun Weidong during a special investiture ceremony. He was given this award for rendering meritorious services with regard to further strengthening the bilateral relation between the two countries.
The outgoing ambassador said that the Hilal-i-Pakistan award is a great honor for him.
The Chinese envoy said that he was glad that the CPEC project was transformed into reality during his tenure.
Sun Weidong further said that his stay in Pakistan was like a stay in his own country and these pleasant memories will always live in his heart. He also stated that the contributions of the Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal in the rapid development of CPEC are unsurpassed.
