All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership between China and Pakistan is an anchor of
peace and stability in the region and beyond. This partnership remains unaffected by any adverse regional and international development and continues to move from strength to strength.
My association with our Chinese friends spans over a decade from I, being JF-17 Program Leader at China, Chief Project Director JF-17 Project at PAF Air Headquarters to my appointment as Chairman Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra.
I have witnessed our mutual dreams being manifested from inception to one of the most potent fighter aircraft of the world, the JF-17 thunder aircraft, which has made the defense of Pakistan impregnable. No two nations on the face of the earth have as much deeprooted military ties as China and Pakistan have.
Read More: PIA: First non-Communist airline into China
As a pioneering project of the Belt and Road Initiative, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has entered a new phase of high-quality development. To my interest as CEO, PIA particularly, Gwadar, once a small fishing village, is transforming rapidly into an international commercial hub.
The Gwadar Airport will be the largest in the country. Pakistan is proud to have partnered and pioneered with China in this phenomenal endeavor. We are expanding the frontiers of knowledge through closer engagement and deeper cooperation in the fields of education, innovation, and technology.
We are changing Pakistan’s economic landscape and Insha-Allah, the destiny of our people. In the face of the current pandemic, I offer my profound gratitude for China’s selfless assistance as Pakistan is the first country to which China has provided vaccines as overseas support, in keeping with the bilateral All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership.
The vaccine assistance and export from China will play an essential role in protecting the Pakistani peoples’ lives and health, and Pakistan International Airlines will continue to play the vital role it is playing in transporting the vaccine shipments from China to Pakistan.
We look forward to working with our Chinese friends to expand the vaccine rollout in Pakistan and collectively work together in controlling and eliminating this pandemic. The year 2021 marks the completion of 70 years of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the People’s Republic of China, established on 21 May 1951.
Read more: Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Minister of Foreign Affairs on Pak-China 70th Anniversary
I commend and congratulate Global Village Space magazine for publishing this special edition on Pakistan – China relations. In simplest words, I want to thank China and its leadership for their unwavering support for Pakistan.
Our deep-rooted friendship, partnership, and brotherhood with China remains strong, resilient, and unbreakable, standing tall in the face of every challenge till the end of times.