Pakistan and China have deepened their all-weather cooperation in recent years and have expanded bilateral ties in diverse fields of cooperation for mutual benefit, Pakistan Ambassador to China Naghmana Hashmi said.

“Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the relevant departments of our two countries have maintained close coordination to ensure that our bilateral cooperation is not affected,” she told China Today in an interview.

Ambassador Hashmi said in the past, the two countries have concluded agreements to enhance bilateral cooperation in trade, infrastructure, industrial cooperation, and cultural cooperation and devised various mechanisms for their implementation.

“Thanks to our bilateral cooperation, Pakistan has succeeded in laying a robust and solid infrastructure network to support its growing economy and overcome festering energy shortages, which had stifled our growth. Both countries now look forward to building upon these gains and extending this cooperation to other unexplored territories”, she added.

With Chinese assistance, we are working on a wide array of projects for socio-economic uplift for the people of Pakistan. The successful conclusion of the Second Phase of China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement has opened a new channel for multiplying our trade volumes.

“We also plan to deepen practical cooperation in agriculture, forestry, poverty alleviation, tourism, governance, and financial discipline. We are devising policies to attract Chinese entrepreneurs to invest in Pakistan for robust, inclusive, and sustainable growth,” she said.

Ambassador Hashmi said, during President Arif Alvi’s visit, the two sides signed MoUs to establish two separate joint working groups on agriculture, and science and technology. The two countries also inked several agreements to deepen bilateral cooperation for pest and disease control and combating the coronavirus epidemic.

“I am confident and hopeful, that in line with the vision of our leadership and aspirations of our peoples, our future cooperation in diverse realms of bilateral relations would be dynamic and vibrant, thereby setting a high bar for strong and mutually beneficial inter-state relations,” she added.