Mr. Muhammad Baligh-ur-Rehman, the Honorable Governor,
Mr. Azfar Ali Nasir, Minister Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering Department,
Mr. Durmuş Baştuğ, Consul General of Turkiye in Lahore,
Mr. Moazzam Ali Ghurki, President of the PCJCCI,
Excellencies, Distingushed Guests, Ladies and gentlemen,
As-Salamu Alaykum and a very good afternoon to you all.
It is my great pleasure and honor to be part of today’s event. I am thankful to the PCJCCI for inviting me and hosting this celebration. My appreciation and gratitude also go to the Excellencies and dignitaries who have taken your precious time to grace the occasion.
It is high time to celebrate the Chinese new year, the Year of the Dragon in Chinese lunar calendar. Dragon, in Chinese culture, represents auspiciousness, strength and prosperity. It also symbolizes hope and opportunity. Therefore, I’d like to extend the new year greetings to all of you and wish you, and our Pakistani friends in particular, a happy, healthy and prosperous Chinese New Year!
Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival, which is not fixed for any single date, but falls on February 8 coming this year. It is the most important festival embodying the spirit of family reunion, peace, joy and harmony. It is celebrated around the world. Last December, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution, making the Chinese New Year as a UN holiday.
The Chinese New Year is also a holiday to ring out the old year and ring in the new one. 2023 saw the Chinese people, under the strong leadership of Communist Party of China and the central government, continue to develop and forge ahead. Our society remained stable, law and order maintained, reform and opening up continued, and economy enjoyed 5.2 % increase, taking China’s total GDP to 126 trillion RMB (equaling to $17.9 trillion). China stays as the second largest global economy, making contribution of over 30% increase to the world economic output. China is and will continue to be an instrumental driving force and important engine for global economic recovery and growth, against the turbulence and changes in world landscape. President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech on the Central Conference on Foreign Affairs last month, systematically reviewing the historic achievements of China’s foreign policy in past decade and envisioning a new mission and grand plan for China’s foreign relations for coming days. China commits itself to the path of peaceful development and reaffirms its dedication to building a community with a shared future for mankind. In order to achieve this ultimate goal of China’s foreign policy, we will continue the drive of Chinese modernization, while making extra efforts to build up the largest cooperation platform of the Belt and Road Initiative. Therefore, being the flagship project of the BRI, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(the CPEC) will enter a new phase of high-quality development. Based on the one-decade achievements, 2024 will see the CPEC gain new momentum and fresh impetus, with key projects, such as the Gwadar airport, the Port and Free Zone, the Main Line 1 railway, and the Karakoram highway up-gradation, executed faster and implemented more efficient. This year, China is to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic, and Pakistan will conduct general elections coming February 8. We believe election is Pakistan’s internal affair and the Pakistani people have the wisdom and are capable of managing your own courtyard well. We are confident that the post-election Pakistan will enjoy sustained peace, security, stability and development. We have seen some positive signs. As all-weather partner and time-tested friend, we will continue to work together to implement the important consensus reached by our leaders, and to build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future.
Going forward, we may still encounter some difficulties and challenges, but we have more to celebrate. As the Year of the Dragon is fast approaching, let us stay focused, pray and hope, and remain optimistic. Thus, we can move on the way, step forward and charge ahead. On my final note, I wish each and every of you peace, safety, happiness and health. I wish China-Pakistan friendship everlasting. China-Pakistan Dosti Zindabad!
Thank you!