A.M.Bhatti

ISLAMABAD: China’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Mr. Yao Jing, paid farewell call on Prime Minister Imran Khan. During the call, Prime Minister lauded efforts of Ambassador Yao in further deepening and strengthening Pakistan-China “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership”.

The Prime Minister conveyed that the people of Pakistan were keenly looking forward to welcoming President Xi Jinping to Pakistan. Appreciating priorities of Chinese leadership for its people, Prime Minister emphasized that the Chinese leadership had played a remarkable role in China’s socio-economic transformation and there was a lot to learn from Beijing’s example of economic development and poverty alleviation.

Prime Minister underlined that during Ambassador’s tenure, CPEC had entered the second phase focusing on industrialization, agriculture and socio-economic development and would play a key role in promoting regional growth and prosperity.

Ambassador Yao thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan for the leadership role he had played in further solidifying and deepening Pakistan’s relationship with China which was greatly valued by the Chinese leaders at the highest level. Ambassador Yao underlined that the Prime Minister’s vision and leadership was instrumental in Pakistan’s transformation. He emphasized that with Prime Minister’s personal focus on poverty alleviation and people-centered approach, CPEC had entered into its second phase and will deliver substantial and immense benefits not only to people of Pakistan but the entire region.

Ambassador Yao stated that Pakistan’s policy of “smart lockdown” in containing COVID-19 was internationally recognized and could be followed as a model by others to deal with a possible second wave of COVID-19.

Ambassador Yao maintained that he will have very fond memories of Pakistan and would wish to see Pakistan-China relationship further strengthened. He emphasized that China would continue to support Pakistan in pursuit of its national development and objectives.

The Prime Minister appreciated Ambassador Yao Jing’s overall contribution to the Pakistan-China partnership and wished him well in his future endeavors. Ambassador Yao Jing served in Islamabad from October 2017 to September 2020. This was his third assignment in Pakistan.