Your Excellency Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani,
Your Excellency Farooq Hamid Naek, Chairman of the Senate,
Your Excellency Dr. Fahmida Mirza, Speaker of the National Assembly,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Aslam Alegum Bhayio!
It is a great honor for me to speak in this august chamber of the Pakistani Parliament. Let me begin by extending, on behalf of the Chinese Government and 1.3 billion Chinese people, warm greetings and best wishes to the brotherly Pakistani people, and expressing sincere thanks and paying high tribute to friends from various sectors who have long been committed to the China-Pakistan friendship.
Five years ago, I visited your country and was warmly received by your people. Time flies, but true friendship remains. For me, coming back to Pakistan this time is like returning home. What I want to say first at this very moment is that China and Pakistan are brothers forever.
China-Pakistan friendship is full of vigor and vitality, like a lush tree with deep roots and thick foliage. China-Pakistan relationship is strong and solid, like a rock standing firm despite the passage of time. We owe our sound relationship to the vision of the older generations of leaders of the two countries and the hard work of the two peoples. At the crucial moments when China sought to break the external blockade, restore its lawful seat at the United Nations and achieve the normalization of relations with the United States, we received valuable help from Pakistan. On those major issues related to Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang, we have enjoyed Pakistan's consistent and full support. In 2008, when a massive earthquake struck China's Wenchuan, Pakistan gave all its tents in reserve and provided swift emergency assistance to us. Over the past half century and more, China, for its part, has extended firm support to Pakistan in its effort to safeguard independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. We have offered Pakistan sincere help in its economic and social development, and many Chinese aid workers even laid down their lives. In the trying moments of severe floods in Pakistan this year, Chinese rescuers, in defiance of formidable difficulties, promptly transported living essentials to the affected areas. The Pakistani soldiers and civilians, braving danger to their own lives, went all out to rescue the 268 Chinese workers in Pakistan. These widely told touching stories attest to the fact that the friendship between China and Pakistan is deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples. It is in our blood. It has become our noble and firm conviction. And it has been translated into real actions.
|