Welcome， President Mr. Xi Jinping

The Chinese President His Excellency Mr. Xi Jinping is arriving today on state visit to Pakistan after taking over the office of President of the People’s Republic of China on March 14， 2013. This visit is taking place in the backdrop of a very important geo-political regional situation apart from further boosting the exemplary Pak-China relations. This visit is also very important from the Pakistan’s political economic point of view as we are currently engaged in Pak-China Economic Corridor project which if implemented in letter and spirit will enhance our economic activities many folds and the country will ultimately prosper.

The visiting Chinese President who is also Head of the ruling Communist Party is expected to lead China for the next decade. Since assuming leadership， he has initiated an unprecedented and far-reaching campaign against corruption， called for further market economic reforms， governance according to the law， strengthening legal institutions， and an emphasis on individual and national aspirations under the neologism “Chinese Dream”. President Xi Jinping introduced this new term to lay out his vision of a stronger nation based on the Chinese path， the Chinese spirit and Chinese strength. This led some analysts to the view that he could pursue a more assertive foreign policy during his decade in power. His Excellency actually wants that the world second largest economy should take its rightful place in the world whereas the great nation works hard for the Chinese renaissance.

The 61-year-old Chinese President Xi Jinping belongs to a very committed family. He is the son of veteran Chinese revolutionary figure， Mr. Xi Zhongxun who was one of the founders of the People’s Republic of China. Mr. Xi Jinping was known as “intellectual youth” at his early young days while he was working in remote village of Liangjiahe for around 6 years and was considered as very sincere and honest. He served as a local Party secretary in Hebei Province before going to Fujian and Zhejiang Provinces at senior positions where he showed his extraordinary capabilities. Less than a decade back in 2007， he was named as Party chief in Shanghai， a very important position for central leadership.

China and Pakistan share a border of just 523 kilometers but are the strongest neighbors and their relationship is ahead of normal diplomatic relations which was established in 1951. Most importantly the people to people interaction is more than anything. This visit was very much awaited by Pakistanis from last few months. China-Pakistan relationship has inspired plenty of florid language， invoking “iron brothers” whose “all-weather friendship” is “higher than the Himalayas and deeper than the oceans” and “sweeter than honey”. These words need to be translated in realties by taking full advantage of Chinese experiences in all fields of life. We in Pakistan must prepare ourselves to enjoy the fruits of economic development and socio-economic prosperity.

Decades-old China-Pakistan relations witness strategic cooperation and partnership in recent years apart from political and cultural interactions. Both countries are serious in breakthrough on economic issues as well. Recently， long term plans like China-Pakistan Economic Corridor have been finalized and various MOUs signed in this regard to materialize the Chinese investment in Pakistan. The economic corridor is mainly about cooperation in three areas viz. energy， transport and industrial parks which will be a new platform for the growth of China-Pakistan strategic cooperation in the next five to ten years. Current year also has a special significance for China-Pakistan relations as the year 2015 has been declared as “Friendly Exchange Year”.

This visit is an excellent opportunity for the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to prepare a proper plan to get benefited from China. The Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been declared as friendly region with Xinjiang Region of China in 2008 whereas Peshawar and Urumqi， Abbottabad and Kashgar established sister-city ties in 1985 and 2007 respectively. All these gestures can be used in a proper and favorable manner. Various NGOs under the banner of Pak-China friendship can play a vital role in promoting this friendship as deep rooted love between people of both the countries.

The writer is Secretary-General of the Pakistan-China Friendship Association Khyber Chapter.