ISLAMABAD: Visiting President Hu Jintao said here on
Friday that
China
will remain a staunch force for enhancing world peace and
common development and building a harmonious world.
"Loving people and
treating neighbours kindly is critical to a country’s survival," he quoted an
ancient Chinese philosophical saying in his speech delivered to about 2,000
audience in the Islamabad Convention Centre, including Pakistan President Pervez
Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat
Aziz.
This philosophical
tenet is deep-rooted in the Chinese culture and the Chinese people love peace
and cherish the value of peace, said Hu, noting that every nation should realize
its development goal through peaceful means.
"
China's development is peaceful,
open and cooperative in nature. It will not pose threat to anyone," said Hu,
adding that
China's development will create more opportunities for
world development.
Reviewing the long
tradition of bilateral relations, Hu said that history has witnessed the dynamic
growth of China-Pakistan friendship.
"The
Karakoram
Highway
,
the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant and the
Gwadar
Port,
jointly built by
China and
Pakistan
, stand testimony to the great friendship our peoples have forged,"
he said in the speech, which was interrupted by applauses
frequently.
Pakistan's economy has grown at an average
rate of 7.5 per cent in the past three years, ranking
Pakistan
as one
of the countries with the fastest economic growth in the world. The country is
also actively involved in regional and international affairs.
"We in
China
are heartened by the achievement made by the brotherly
Pakistani people. We wish you even greater progress in the noble cause of
national development and rejuvenation," he noted.
President Hu put
forward five-point proposals in strengthening bilateral strategic
partnership.
l
Deepen strategic
co-operation and consolidate traditional friendship. China and Pakistanenjoy a time-tested all-weather friendship,
which is the shared asset of the two countries and should be cherished and
continuously enhanced.
China
views its relations with
Pakistan
in strategic terms and from
a long-term perspective.
l
Expand win-win business ties. With a market of combined population of
close to 1.5 billion and economic complementarity,
China and
Pakistan
enjoy
huge potential for co-operation. In recent years, China-Pakistan business ties
have seen strong growth, becoming an important driving force of our relations.
The free trade agreement and the five-year development programme on trade and
economic co-operation singed by the two countries will accelerate economic and
trade collaboration in the future. The Chinese Government encourages leading
Chinese companies to take
Pakistan as a priority destination of investment
and support them in undertaking construction projects, opening factories and
conducting research and development in
Pakistan
.
China will strengthen win-win cooperation with
Pakistan
in key areas such as energy and resources development,
information technology, infrastructure and agriculture to give full play to
comparative strength.
l
Expand cultural and social exchanges and strengthen the basis of
friendship. The Confucius Institute has been set up in
Pakistan and the two countries have officially
exchanged notes on setting up the
China-Pakistan
Friendship
Center
. The Chinese Government supports
increased exchanges and co-operation with
Pakistan
in the
areas of culture, health, education, tourism, sports and press and between
academic institutions.
l
Strengthen co-operation in international affairs and uphold common
interests. To
China,
Pakistan
is an important partner of co-operation in the
international arena.
China
will continue to work with
Pakistan
to uphold the purposes and
principles of the UN Charter and the collective interests of the developing
countries and promote democracy in international
relations.
l
Promote exchanges among civilizations to
enhance world harmony.
A
harmonious world of enduring peace and common prosperity serves the interests of
the world people. Different social systems and cultural background have never
stood in the way of friendly relations between China and Pakistan
. The
China-Pakistan relations have become an example of harmonious coexistence
between countries of different civilizations. China highly
appreciates the "enlightened moderation" championed by President Musharraf,
viewing it as an important proposition for promoting harmony among countries of
different civilizations. In China's view, differences in culture,
tradition, social system, value and mode of development should be recognized.
These differences reflect the vitality of the world and serve to promote its
dynamic growth. One should not make irresponsible remarks about the internal
affairs of other countries simply because of differences among countries. And it
is equally wrong to blame a particular civilization, nation or religion for some
problems and conflicts in the world.