Islamabad, November 1st—“A Journey to China, a Bond of Brotherhood: An Exchange Event Between the CPC and its Pakistani Iron-Clad Friends” and the Inauguration Ceremony of the Pakistan-China Research Center for Party and State Governance were held here today. Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), attended the event and delivered remarks. More than 100 Pakistani political figures and representatives from various sectors who had visited China at the invitation of the CPC in recent years attended the event, including Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan, and Faisal Karim Kundi, Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 

Liu said that over the 75 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan, generations of Pakistani friends have visited China, come to know the CPC step by step, and helped write a story of China-Pakistan friendship that is “higher than the mountains, deeper than the sea and sweeter than honey.” As friends draw closer, their bonds grow stronger. He expressed the hope that Pakistan's “iron-clad friends” would continue to serve as participants in, inheritors of and leaders of China-Pakistan friendship. He encouraged them to share with more Pakistanis what they have seen and experienced about China and the CPC, and to tell more Chinese friends about Pakistan, so that the tree of China-Pakistan friendship can put down deeper roots and continue to flourish.  

Liu noted that as the world undergoes changes unseen in a century at an accelerated pace, political parties in all countries face new challenges and missions, placing higher demands on exchanges between China and Pakistan on experience in party governance and state administration. The Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee was successfully held recently. The plenary session reviewed and adopted the Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Certain Major Issues concerning Persevering with Full and Rigorous Party Self-Governance. Liu expressed the hope that the Pakistan-China Research Center for Party and State Governance would serve as a “think tank” for state governance and administration, conducting in-depth research on topics such as state governance, party building, and international and regional developments; as a “catalyst” for strategic mutual trust, enhancing understanding of each other's political systems, development paths, history and culture through exchanges and mutual learning; and as a “bridge” connecting the two peoples, promoting exchanges between political parties, young people, business communities, media organizations and think tanks of the two countries, and ensuring that their iron-clad friendship is passed down from generation to generation.  

In their remarks, Gilani and others fondly shared their stories with China and warmly congratulated the establishment of the Pakistan-China Research Center for Party and State Governance. They said that the iron-clad friendship between Pakistan and China had stood the test of time and was deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples, as well as fully reflected in bilateral relations. Visits to China at the invitation of the CPC had enabled people from various sectors in Pakistan to experience firsthand the profound friendship of the Chinese people and witness the remarkable achievements China has made under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping. These visits had also deepened their understanding of the CPC's governance philosophy and development policies, as well as its strong execution and discipline. China's success has set an example for developing countries, including Pakistan, to learn from. Pakistan needs to draw more on China's experience in party governance and state administration, explore a development path suited to its national conditions, translate the Pakistan-China friendship into more tangible outcomes of practical cooperation in the new era, and ensure that this friendship is better carried forward among the Pakistani people, particularly the younger generation.  

Prior to the event, Liu joined Gilani and others in visiting a photo exhibition on friendly exchanges between China and Pakistan.  

Jiang Zaidong, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, and others attended the event.