In the succeeding decades, China and Pakistan have not only deepened their ties but also stood by each other in difficult times. As we come to the recent history of Pakistan-China relations, we express satisfaction from the fact that the two sides have fashioned a very effective, practical, and flexible architecture for engagement and cooperation in strategic, defense, economic, commercial, and cultural fields. This architecture is responsive to the changing times.

Where are these relations today? The Pak-China Joint Statement, issued in Islamabad on December 19, 2010 on the conclusion of Premier Wen's historic visit to Pakistan, highlighted the following points: It is important to deepen the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic partnership; China-Pakistan relations have gone beyond bilateral dimensions and acquired broader regional and international ramifications; Friendship and cooperation between Pakistan and China serve the fundamental interests of the two countries, and contribute to peace, stability and development in the region and beyond; and the two sides will enhance their strategic coordination, advance pragmatic cooperation, and work together to meet the challenges in pursuit of common development.

Pursuing friendship with China has become the bedrock of Pakistan's foreign policy which enjoys consensus across the political spectrum. Pakistan deeply appreciates the support and assistance China has given for our economic and social development. We fully support China's principled stand on Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, and other human rights issues.

The Chinese Government and people reciprocate these sentiments and consider Pakistan to be their most reliable friend and partner. Developing relations with Pakistan is high on China's diplomatic agenda. China supports Pakistan's efforts in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

The fuel for this relationship comes from the hearts and minds of the people. The prudent, farsighted policies of their governments buttress it through multiple frameworks.

The 2005 Pakistan-China Treaty for Friendship and Cooperation and Good Neighborly Relations is a key instrument which enables us to strengthen our strategic, economic and cultural relations. High-level visits play a crucial role in this regard. In December last year, Pakistan and China decided to establish an annual meeting mechanism between leaders, set up foreign ministers' dialogue mechanism and reinforce contact and dialogue between the foreign ministries. Since 2008, President Asif Ali Zardari has visited China six times and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani three times. Last year, Premier Wen Jiabao and Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang visited Pakistan.

A Joint Economic Commission (JEC) helps us stimulate growth of our economic and trade ties. We use a Five-Year Development Program on Trade and Economic Cooperation for this purpose. The first five-year plan, which will be completed this year, has focused on port development, educational exchanges, establishment of Pakistan-China Joint Investment Company (JIC), automobiles, chemicals, fertilizers, telecommunications, and energy projects. We will launch the second five year program in 2012. Under this plan, the two sides have identified 36 projects covering education, healthcare, water conservancy, agriculture, transport, energy, ICT, and industry.

Following massive floods in Pakistan last year, China gave us generous, timely, and unconditional relief assistance. China's assistance to Pakistan was the largest disaster relief assistance given to a foreign country. We are glad that the Chinese companies are going to participate in the post-floods reconstruction, especially in the agricultural and infrastructure projects.

Pakistan-China trade, which was only $1.8 billion in 2002, rose to $8.7 billion in 2010. Last year Pakistan's exports to China increased by 37 percent while import from China grew by 25 percent. The overall growth rate was a promising 28 percent. If we work at that pace, we would soon achieve our target of $15 billion, though we would like to surpass it.

Pakistan and China have signed Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) on goods, investment and services. A Free Trade Commission (FTC) meets regularly. It has started consultations for the second phase negotiations of China-Pakistan FTA to enhance trade liberalization and promote economic and trade growth of the two countries. It will also look into the issues of dispatch of official purchase missions from China to Pakistan, visa facilitation measures and development of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) system.

Our two armed forces have very close cooperation. Early this year, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan held the eighth round of Defense and Security Talks with PLA Chief of General Staff. We have unanimity of views to pursue peace and security in the region and to defeat the evil forces of terrorism, extremism, and separatism. Our active collaboration in this regard has produced results. The defense cooperation covers high-level military exchanges, structured defense and security talks, joint exercises, training of personnel in each other's institutions, joint defense production, and defense trade.

This year we will make special efforts to promote understanding and friendship between our two peoples by enhancing exchanges in culture, education, media, sports, tourism, and public health. We would especially encourage visits by researchers and scholars so that they could give depth and perspective to the narrative of Pakistan-China friendship. Within this context, our emphasis is on exchanges between younger generations in Pakistan and China so that they can inherit this narrative and propagate it. We have set a good tradition of visits of 100-member youth delegations from both sides. We believe that these exchanges will lay the foundation for understanding and cooperation among young men and women of China.

The entire Pakistani nation was deeply touched by China's forthright, principled and staunch support to Pakistan, expressed by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu, following the killing of Osama bin Laden. Pakistani media applauded China's reiteration of the principle that independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of any country should be respected; and its reaffirmation that the Pakistani Government was firm in its resolve and strong in its action in the fight against terrorism. The people of Pakistan welcomed China's support to Pakistan for the development and implementation of its antiterrorist strategy according to its own national conditions.

In all these endeavors, we would work closely with our great neighbor China. Pakistanis without exception are proud of China's extraordinary success and we hope that China would continue to grow in its stature and the world would continue to benefit from China's quest for regional and global peace and prosperity. Amongst all political forces in Pakistan, there is unanimity that we should strengthen Pakistan's ties with China. We shall maintain that tradition and take our relations and friendship to new heights.

The author is ambassador of Pakistan to China