Highlighting culture as the ultimate bridge of friendship, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi, hailed the ancient traditions of the Dragon Boat Festival as a powerful vehicle for bringing the peoples of both nations closer together.

Ambassador Hashmi described the festival as a living embodiment of Chinese civilization's enduring vitality, calling it "a precious intangible cultural heritage of China and an invaluable treasure that Chinese civilization has gifted to the world."

According to a Gwadar Pro's report on Monday, he emphasized that culture is the most enduring bridge between nations, and that China-Pakistan friendship has only grown stronger through people-to-people exchanges.

A landmark moment came with his announcement that on June 14, the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, in collaboration with "China Window Peshawar," organized the first-ever large-scale dragon boat race in Pakistan's history on the banks of the Kabul River in Peshawar, drawing over 100 participants.

"This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan," Ambassador Hashmi noted. "This event is a vivid practice of our two countries deepening our all-weather friendship with culture as the bond."

The event, hosted by Asia Pacific Daily and China National Aviation Fuel Group Asset Development Co., Ltd., brought together diplomats from Pakistan, Jamaica, Lesotho, South Korea, Malaysia, Canada, Cuba, Indonesia, Turkey, the Philippines, Egypt, and beyond under the theme "Elegant Dragon Boat Festival, Romantic China.

Guests also immersed themselves in traditional crafts including Manchu embroidery, guqin playing, and lacquer fan painting.

The Ambassador concluded with a vision for the future: "May our two cultures learn from and enrich one another through dialogue, and may the friendship between our two peoples grow ever deeper through connection."

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP) — Pak-China