ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday unveiled a special Rs 70 coin to mark the 70 years of Pak-China diplomatic ties. The ceremony was attended by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong and State Bank of Pakistan Governor Dr Reza Baqir.
In his speech on the occasion, FM Qureshi said the coin’s denomination has been kept at Rs 70 which was an apt reflection of the 70 years of our all-weather, time-tested and brotherly relationship. “The China-Pakistan relationship is unique in the world; our historic ties stretch over the span of millennia. Historically, academics, monks, travellers and traders frequently traversed the stretches of Trans-Karakorum tracts and laid the foundation of this fraternal bond,” he said.
Over the last seven decades, he said, this time-tested relationship had flourished from strength to strength, unaffected by the vicissitudes of time and changes in the regional and global environment.
“Unrelenting efforts of the successive generations of people and the leadership of Pakistan and China have transformed this relationship into an ‘All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership,’” he added, Pakistan and China, the FM said, steadfastly support each other on the issues of core interest.
“Pakistan adheres to ‘One-China’ policy and supports China on issues such as Xinjiang, Hong Kong, South China Sea, Taiwan and Tibet. China has stood by Pakistan in supporting our key strategic, economic and developmental priorities. Maintaining its principled stance, China has unwaveringly supported Pakistan on the Jammu & Kashmir dispute,” he said.
FM Qureshi said China-Pakistan Economic Corridor brought this relationship to new heights.
For generations, he said, Pakistan and China have had the fine tradition of standing by each other through thick and thin. After the outbreak of COVID-19 in China and Pakistan, both countries extended material and moral support to each other in their respective efforts to contain the pandemic.
“Our cooperation on vaccine is also progressing very well. China has gifted millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Pakistan. Pakistan is also procuring Chinese vaccine on commercial basis. We remain grateful to the Chinese government and people for their steadfast support, which has been instrumental in saving precious lives in Pakistan,” he said.