" Tonight, we gather together to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

I wish to extend a warm welcome to the Honorable Prime Minister Shehbaz, Speaker Sadiq, Deputy Prime Minister Dar,and all the distinguished guests, and to express our sincere appreciation to friends from all sectors who have long cared for and supported China’s development and actively devoted themselves to the cause of China-Pakistan friendship.

We are particularly deeply moved that Prime Minister Shehbaz, having returned to Pakistan early this morning right after his successful foreign visit, attended this reception despite his fatigue, which fully demonstrates His Excellency’s high regard for China-Pakistan relations and profound friendship with the Chinese people.

We express our heartfelt gratitude and highest respect to His Excellency.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Over the past 77 years, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese people have worked diligently and achieved a historic leap from standing up and growing rich to becoming strong. In particular, since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping and guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we have won the battle against poverty, built a moderately prosperous society in all respects, written a new chapter in the two miracles of rapid economic growth and enduring social stability, and brought the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation into an irreversible historical process.

Since the beginning of this year, the 15th Five-Year Plan has got off to a good start. In the first half of the year, China’s GDP grew by 4.7 percent year on year, with an economic increment of 3.6 trillion yuan, the highest for the same period in the past five years. China’s development features not only a reasonable increase in quantity, but also an effective improvement in quality.

Historic breakthroughs have been made in the energy transition. In the first half of this year, renewable energy accounted for more than 40 percent of China’s electricity generation for the first time, reaching 41.2 percent. China’s energy transition has not only laid a solid foundation for its own sustainable development, but also made a positive contribution to the world’s response to fluctuations in the global energy supply.
The infrastructure network has been further densified. The 109 major projects set out in the 15th Five-Year Plan are being advanced steadily. On September 16th, the Pinglu Canal, the first canal coordinated at the national level since the founding of New China to link a river system with the sea, was officially completed and opened to navigation. Goods from southwest China now reach the sea via the canal by a voyage shortened by 560 kilometers, saving over 5 billion yuan in transport costs every year.
Emerging industries are booming. In the first half of this year, exports of the “new trio” — electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and photovoltaic products — totaled 819.664 billion yuan, up 46.1 percent year on year. At the same time, artificial intelligence, robots and innovative drugs, the “new new trio”, are becoming a latest calling card of China’s foreign trade and adding new momentum to global development.

We have the confidence and the capability to keep the economy growing in a more innovative, better and sounder direction, and we will continue to provide more opportunities to the world with the achievements of Chinese modernization.

In the face of a rapidly evolving international landscape and mounting global challenges, China has always upheld justice and followed the right path. We actively practice the vision of a community with a shared future for humanity and the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) and the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) put forward by President Xi Jinping, and contribute China’s ideas, initiatives, wisdom and actions to the international community’s efforts to meet challenges and resolve difficult issues.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the GDI. Over the past five years, more than 130 countries and international organizations have supported the GDI and participated in cooperation under it; nearly 100 countries, regions and international organizations have signed cooperation documents on the Initiative with China; and 88 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI. China has carried out more than 2,000 cooperation projects with various parties, benefiting the people of more than 120 countries. China has also set up a global development fund pool and, together with Chinese and foreign financial institutions, established a 14 billion US dollar special fund for the GDI. China has trained more than 200,000 people in various fields for developing countries. China will continue to stand firmly on the right side of history and on the side of human civilization and progress, uphold true multilateralism and international fairness and justice, and remain a steadfast force for safeguarding world peace and promoting common development.

China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and ironclad brothers.

We are pleased to see that, under the strong leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz, the Pakistani economy has demonstrated growing resilience and vitality. By mid-September this year, Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves had risen to 27 billion US dollars, a new high in nearly five years, covering more than three months of imports. Since August, the current account deficit has dropped to 98 million US dollars, down 70 percent year on year; foreign direct investment has grown by 80 percent year on year; services exports and IT exports have increased by 29 percent and 17 percent respectively; and the number of business registrations has risen by 45 percent year on year, boosting confidence in the capital market. In the first two months of the current fiscal year, remittances totaled 7.3 billion US dollars, up 17 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, with its firm principled position, broad global vision and outstanding diplomatic wisdom, Pakistan is playing an increasingly important role on the international stage. It has served as the rotating president of the UN Security Council, actively engaged in mediation, promoted the resolution of hotspot issues, advocated multilateralism and international cooperation, and played a vital role in upholding peace and security in the region and beyond.

Pakistan has also formally assumed the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which has opened up broad space for further enhancing its international influence and will inject new impetus into regional stability and prosperity. On September 25, Prime Minister Shehbaz addressed the General Debate of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly, firmly defending Pakistan’s national interests, elaborating Pakistan’s position on major international and regional issues, fully demonstrating Pakistan’s commitment and responsibility as an important member of the Global South, and winning unanimous praise from the international community. We express our heartfelt admiration for this.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan.

The glorious journey of the past 75 years proves that China and Pakistan are friends who have shared weal and woe and brothers through thick and thin, and, more importantly, friends bound by good faith and righteousness.

Since the beginning of this year, the two countries have maintained frequent high-level communication. On May 21, President Xi Jinping and President Zardari exchanged congratulatory messages on the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. On May 26, President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Shehbaz on his official visit to China. The leaders of the two countries reached new important consensus on deepening the China-Pakistan All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, providing fundamental guidance and action guidelines for the development of bilateral relations.

During his visit to China, Prime Minister Shehbaz also attended the reception celebrating the 75th anniversary of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations, and the two countries issued the joint statement, drawing a comprehensive blueprint for accelerating the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era.

Prime Minister Shehbaz has always attached great importance to practical cooperation between China and Pakistan in various fields, particularly caring personally for agricultural cooperation and promoting the dispatch of 1,000 Pakistani agricultural professionals to China for advanced studies.

Under the strong promotion of Prime Minister Shehbaz and Chinese leaders, practical cooperation between the two countries has continued to expand since the beginning of this year.

According to statistics from China Customs, from January to July, the bilateral trade volume reached US$16.44 billion, up 13.4 percent year-on-year, with China’s exports to Pakistan growing by 9.8 percent and imports from Pakistan increasing by 45.7 percent year-on-year.

From January to August, the bilateral agricultural trade volume stood at approximately US$830 million, up 45 percent year-on-year. Among this, China’s imports from Pakistan reached US$530 million, a year-on-year increase of 63 percent; Pakistan registered an agricultural trade surplus of US$230 million with China, marking a year-on-year growth of 200.6 percent; Pakistan exported 373 million kilograms of rice to China, with an export value of US$127 million, up 245.7 percent and 186.9 percent year-on-year respectively.

According to statistics from the State Bank of Pakistan, from January to August, China continued to rank firmly at the top in terms of investment in Pakistan, with China (including Hong Kong) accounting for 60.7 percent of the total foreign investment attracted by Pakistan.
China-Pakistan international coordination has operated at a high level.

In March, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dar held talks in Beijing with Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister, and the two sides jointly issued the five-point initiative on restoring peace and stability in the Gulf and the Middle East. In September, Prime Minister Shehbaz attended the high-level event on the Global Development Initiative hosted by China in New York. In his speech at the UN General Assembly, he paid high tribute to President Xi Jinping’s visionary leadership, emphasizing that President Xi Jinping has proposed and promoted the implementation of four global initiatives, and with these initiatives as pillars, we will certainly be able to jointly build a shared future for humanity. We express our heartfelt gratitude to His Excellency the Prime Minister.

Standing at a new historical starting point, we are ready to work with Pakistan to further deepen our ironclad friendship and all-round cooperation in the following areas.
First, consolidate strategic mutual trust and firmly support each other. We will implement the important consensus reached between President Xi Jinping and Pakistani leaders, make solid progress in the Action Plan on Building an Even Closer China-Pakistan Community with a Shared Future in the New Era, and translate the strength of political mutual trust into sustained momentum for cooperation and development.
Second, deepen practical cooperation and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results. Focusing on the three priority areas of industry, agriculture and mining, we will firmly advance the high-quality development of CPEC 2.0 and accelerate the building of an upgraded version of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, so as to expand trade and investment cooperation to broader areas and greater depth.
Third, respond to people’s livelihood needs and cement public support. We will carry out more “small and beautiful” livelihood projects and speed up building 100 clean water stations, upgrading 1,000 smart classrooms and distributing 100,000 school kits in Balochistan. We will strengthen cooperation in health, education, climate change and other fields and expand exchanges between universities, think tanks, youth and women, so as to make the foundation of our friendship even more solid.
Fourth, step up security cooperation and build a strong protective shield. We will deepen defense, security and counter-terrorism cooperation, resolutely combat terrorism in all its forms, and provide a solid guarantee for our respective development and regional stability.
Fifth, maintain close international coordination and safeguard fairness and justice. We will firmly uphold the authority of the United Nations and the outcomes of the victory of World War II, practice true multilateralism, strengthen communication and coordination on international and regional hotspot issues, and jointly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Global South countries.
In short, we are ready to work hand in hand with Pakistan to accelerate the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, bring more benefits to our two peoples, set an example for building a neighborhood community with a shared future, and contribute to building a community with a shared future for humanity.
Warm congratulations on the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China!
May China and Pakistan enjoy prosperity and our two peoples happiness and well-being!
May the China-Pakistan friendship be passed on from generation to generation and remain evergreen!
May Prime Minister Shehbaz, Speaker Sadiq, Deputy Prime Minister Dar, and all the distinguished guests enjoy good health and every success!"

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