President confers civil award on outgoing Chinese ambassador

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has conferred Hilal-e-Pakistan civil award on outgoing Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing.

The special investiture ceremony was held at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad. The ceremony was attended by Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani, Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser, federal ministers and senior officials.

The Chinese envoy was awarded in recognition of his efforts for further strengthening Pakistan-China relations in diverse fields.

Later, the ambassador called on the president and discussed matters pertaining to bilateral relations between the two countries. While talking to the ambassador, the president said that China was a close friend which has always supported Pakistan on all issues of national interest.

Highlighting the economic and strategic significance of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the president stated that the corridor would increase regional connectivity and countries of the region, particularly Afghanistan and Central Asian countries, would enormously benefit from it.

He emphasised the need for further strengthening defense cooperation between the two all-weather friends. He added that Pakistan was looking forward to the visit of President Xi Jinping which would further boost bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, economy and defense.

The president appreciated the efforts made by the outgoing ambassador for further promoting and solidifying bilateral relations. He said that many infrastructure and development projects were completed during the tenure of Mr Yao Jing.

The Ambassador assured that China would continue its efforts to promote peace and connectivity in the region. He specially thanked the president for being the only head of state to visit China during COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

Yesterday, China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing paid a farewell call on Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The prime minister lauded efforts of the outgoing Chinese envoy in further deepening and strengthening bilateral relations. He conveyed that the people of Pakistan were keenly looking forward to welcoming President Xi Jinping.

PM Imran Khan appreciated Ambassador Yao Jing’s contribution to the Pakistan-China partnership and wished him well in his future endeavours. Ambassador Yao Jing served in Islamabad from October 2017 to September 2020. This was his third assignment in Pakistan.