“We are brothers of iron. Our friendship is unshakable and our hearts are one,” Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif told Chinese media in an interview in Islamabad ahead of his visit to China.
Xinhua reporters Tang Binhui, Jiang Chao and Zhang Jingyao
ISLAMABAD, June 4 (Xinhua) — “We come with serious plans to take the friendship between our two countries far higher than the Himalayas and deeper than the deepest oceans of the world,” Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif said.
At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Sharif is on an official visit to China from Tuesday to Saturday.
“We are iron brothers. Our friendship is unshakable and our hearts are one,” Sharif told Chinese media in an interview in Islamabad ahead of his visit to China.
He said China has supported Pakistan in its most difficult times and Pakistan regards China as one of its most reliable friends in the world.
Pakistan adheres to the “One China” principle and this commitment remains firm as ever, the prime minister said.
“There is complete consensus among Pakistanis from all walks of life that Taiwan is an integral part of China and this has emerged as our policy from the bottom of our hearts without any debate,” he said.
Sharif first visited China about 40 years ago and noticed that, despite being an underdeveloped country, China was vigorously developing modern science and technology while striving to meet the basic needs of its people.
“Today, China has become a great power through vision, hard work and earnest, unremitting efforts,” Sharif said.
“All doubts about the China model have been dispelled by historical evidence,” he said.
Sharif said he received early congratulations from Chinese President Xi Jinping when he was elected prime minister in March.
Sharif expressed his gratitude to Xi and said the message reflected the friendship between the two countries and would remain in his heart forever.
Sharif said that under President Xi’s leadership, China has lifted millions of its people out of poverty, adding that one of the topics on the agenda for his visit is to learn from the Chinese model on how to alleviate poverty in Pakistan and help its people become self-reliant.
Through this visit, Pakistan hopes to promote exchanges between enterprises of the two countries, take advantage of special economic zones and Pakistan’s workforce advantages to set up joint ventures, promote industrial and technology transfer, enhance Pakistan’s manufacturing output, and promote the construction of the upgraded China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the prime minister said.
He said China’s proposed “Belt and Road” initiative will benefit the people of participating countries, promote cooperation, and advance the world toward the vision of common prosperity and a better future.
“Pakistan is ready to cooperate with China in implementing the global development vision, global security vision and global civilisation vision to bring about peace, tranquility, progress and prosperity in the world,” he added.
Sharif said China is always proactive in promoting business, industry, trade and agriculture in Pakistan and that Pakistan is ready to issue Panda bonds and expand trading and settlement in Chinese yuan.
Pakistan is willing to promote economic cooperation with China and learn from China’s advanced experience in information technology and artificial intelligence, so as to consolidate the strong friendly relations between the two countries and achieve leapfrog development, he said.
He said Pakistan is ready to learn from China’s governance experience, deepen reforms and anti-corruption efforts, create a favourable environment for Chinese investors, provide policy support to investors and focus on areas that will benefit both peoples in modernising the economy.
Highlighting the role of youth in cultural exchanges, Sharif said Pakistan is actively encouraging young people to learn Chinese language and study in China, creating a favourable environment for Chinese tourists to visit Pakistan for exchanges and cooperation.
“Despite the hot weather, the warmth in our hearts is still not there,” the Prime Minister said.■
