Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi has described the China Pakistan friendship as a consistent source of peace, development and stability in South Asia and beyond.

In his remarks delivered at the World Peace Forum 2024 in Beijing, he said it is the special and unique relationship between the two countries, according to a press release received here on Monday from Beijing.

The envoy said this special relationship is built on the sentiments of mutual respect, equality and good-neighborliness, to call for cooperative, harmonious and mutually beneficial among the South Asian nations as well.

Underscoring the extricable link between sustainable development and peace, the Ambassador commended China’s Global Security Initiative (GSI), Global Development Initiative (GDI) and Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) for providing a comprehensive framework to promote dialogue and cooperation among nations, including those in South Asia.

Ambassador Khalil Hashmi thanked China for supporting the development journey of Pakistan through critical investments under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), made at a time when Pakistan needed them the most.

Appreciating the ongoing efforts to build a China Pakistan Community of Shared Future, he called CPEC a modern day manifestation of the ancient Silk Road that connected China and South Asia, facilitating people to people and trade linkages.

The Ambassador also appreciated China’s consistent and principled position on Jammu and Kashmir marked by its emphasis on the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions for a just and lasting settlement of the dispute.

He called for instilling new life in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) with a forward looking approach driven by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.