ISLAMABAD: A meeting of the China-Pakistan parliamentary friendship group was held with Senator Saleem Mandviwala as its convener on Tuesday.
Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong attended the meeting along with some officials from the embassy. The senators and the Chinese ambassador vowed to enhance linkages between the Pakistani parliament and the National People’s Congress (NPC) as well as the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
Senator Saleem Mandviwala, while narrating the aims of the parliamentary friendship group, said that the purpose of the group was to enhance interaction between the Pakistani parliament and the Chinese NPC and CPPCC. “The group will also work towards promoting exchange programmes and relations between the two sides on legislative side, besides maintaining information about the activities and engagements of members of the NPC, CPPCC and the Senate of Pakistan.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General (China) Muhammad Hassan briefed the group and the ambassador on the relations between the two countries. Calling the all-weather strategic partnership between the two countries “one of the most exemplary relations between two nations that enjoy across the board political and popular support on both sides”, he explained different aspects of cooperation in the economic, counter-terrorism, defence, development, education and diplomatic areas.
The Chinese ambassador gave a detailed briefing on the Chinese political system, informing the friendship group about the history of the Communist Party of China, the foundation of People’s Republic of China, the foundation of progress, the new era of Chinese history in 1976 when China decide to open up to the world, and the transition of China from a planning economy to a socialist economy.
He gave insight into the Chinese political and judicial systems, including details of different types of people’s courts and the unique nature of the CPPCC.
The senators expressed their gratitude to the ambassador for attending the first meeting of the friendship group, as it showed the depth of the relations between the two countries. Both sides agreed that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) symbolised the people-centric approach of both the countries. It was also agreed that only people had the right to choose the way of political system under which their lives were governed, and that what works well for one country may not work for the other. The friendship group will hold further interactions in the future to promote national consensus on friendly relations on both sides. The meeting was attended by senators Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qayyum, Mian Ateeq Sheikh, Farhatullah Babar, Nuzhat Sadiq, Mohsin Aziz, Saud Majeed, Seher Kamran, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Daud Achakzai, Chaudhry Tanveer and Illyas Bilour, among others.
