President Xi Jinping confers “Friendship Award” on Senator Mushahid Hussain

Lahore: Senator Mushahid Hussain, Chairman of the Pakistan China Institute, was conferred with the “Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence Friendship Award” by President Xi Jinping during a simple but elegant ceremony. President Mamnoon Hussain was also present on the occasion.

This newly-constituted award of China commemorates the 60th Anniversary of Afro-Asian Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, which established the five principles of peaceful co-existence as the governing basis of inter-state relations among newly emerging countries in Africa and Asia.  China and Pakistan were among the countries who attended the historic Bandung conference in April 1955.  The Chinese President appreciated the contribution of Senator Mushahid Hussain in promoting people to people understanding and friendship between the two countries.  The award was given to 3 individuals as well as 4 institutions for their contributions in different fields in this regard.

Senator Mushahid Hussain is the first and only Pakistani political figure to be so honoured with this high level award presented by the President of China.

Talking to the media regarding the visit of President Xi Jinping and his speech to the Parliament, Senator Mushahid Hussain termed the visit of President Xi Jinping to Pakistan as an ‘historic and landmark visit which will have long term consequences for the development of Pakistan China relations’. He particularly lauded the address of President Xi Jinping to Parliament and he added that the kind of reception accorded to Chinese President by the Pakistan’s Parliament was “unprecedented” so much so that even the Parliamentary Press Gallery stood up to give a standing ovation to President Xi Jinping.  He said that President Xi Jinping made it clear in his speech that China had taken “a strategic decision to elevate the bilateral relationship and take it to a higher level” adding that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor is today the flagship project of the Central Asian Economic Belt and Maritime Silk Road, with Pakistan as the meeting point of both.He added that apart from economic development, another dimension is that both countries see their security as being intertwined. President Xi Jinping thanked Pakistan for support to security on China’s Western frontier, while the Pakistani Prime Minister also made it clear that “China’s security is also Pakistan’s security.”