Shahbaz Sharif hosts a farewell dinner for outgoing Chinese Ambassador

Lahore : Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif hosted a ceremony in connection with 68^th National Day of China and a farewell dinner in honor of outgoing Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong in a local hotel, today. The Chief Minister paid tributes to the great services of the Chinese Ambassador during his stay in Pakistan for the promotion of Pak-China friendship as well as for the CPEC projects.

The Chinese Ambassador, in his address, said that Punjab government under the leadership of the Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has made unusual progress for achieving the targets of economic development.

Shahbaz Sharif has relentlessly worked for the promotion of Pak-China friendship as well as implementation of CPEC projects. The commitment and services of Shahbaz Sharif are unforgettable and Pakistan and China are most trustworthy friends, he added. After the visit of Chinese President to Islamabad, new chapters of friendly relations have been ushered in.

Under the leadership of Shahbaz Sharif, the CPEC projects in the Punjab are being completed with very high speed. Under his leadership, the Punjab government has rendered great services for the promotion of Pak-China relations; he said and added that Sahiwal Coal Power Plant Project has been completed in a period of 22 months which is a world-record with respect to completion of energy projects.

This project was completed with ‘Punjab Speed’ and we term it as ‘Pakistan Speed’ as well. The honor of ‘Punjab Speed’ is a result of untiring efforts and hard work of Shahbaz Sharif. CPEC is a reflection of development vision of the leadership of both the countries and the role of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in enhancing economic relations between the two countries is commendable. I shall always remember the love, affection and cooperation of Pakistan, especially the people of Punjab.

The love, sincerity and affection exhibited by you at every occasion just cannot be forgotten. You have actively played your role to further expand the Pak-China relations on sound footings.

The Punjab government has given special attention to wellbeing and security of Chinese engineers and workers working in the province. China has always supported Pakistan with regard to its solidarity and it will always stand with Pakistan side by side. The people of Pakistan and China are like small rivers which turn into a mighty river jointly. The way Punjab is called a land of five rivers and these rivers turn into Sindh River at one particular point, similarly, we also merge into one another at a particular point. Let’s works together and move this river of friendship further.

The Chinese Consul General Long Dingbin said that the love and affection given by the people in Punjab and in other parts of Pakistan is unique and CPEC has given new dimensions to Pak-China relations. Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif is a visionary leader and under his leadership, many CPEC Projects have been completed, while work on many other projects is underway with high speed. The first set of bogies of Orange Metro Line Train has reached Lahore. He said that Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has played a marvelous role in the promotion of Pak-China friendship.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said, in his address, that the role of Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong will always be remembered for the promotion of Pak-China relations. You will always be remembered as a great friend of Pakistan and our best wishes are with you, he added.

The Chinese Ambassador has played exemplary role in transforming Pak-China relations into economic cooperation and worked very hard for enhancing bilateral economic cooperation. You have played an extended role for further enhancing economic relations and the great journey of bilateral economic cooperation has been moved further. The best wishes of the people of Pakistan as well as the people of Punjab are with you and you will always remain in our hearts.

The Chinese President Xi Jinping has given a great vision of belt and road. The journey of brotherly relations between Pakistan and China spans to six decades and this friendship of both the counties is an example of its own. Pakistan and China are conjoined twins in the immortal relationship of mutual love and affection. CPEC is a gigantic project which has started giving fruits. 1320-MW Sahiwal Coal Power Plant has been completed six months ahead of its deadline and work is being carried out day and night on solar power plants, Port Qasim Power Plant, Lahore-Karachi Motorway, Orange Line Metro Train and other projects. China has proved itself as a sincere friend by siding with Pakistan in a difficult situation. The Pakistani people will always remember this unique cooperation of China. China is siding with Pakistan like a solid rock at political and diplomatic levels and Pakistani nation just cannot forget this great benefaction of China. The whole nation is thankful to the Chinese leadership and the people for their tremendous support and great investment. Pakistan is lucky that it has been bestowed with a great friend like China. I assure to the Chinese leadership and the government that we shall come up to the expectations and Pak-China friendship will continue till late. He said that first set of bogies of Orange Line Metro Train has reached to Lahore and 2.5 lakh people will travel on this train daily in an honorable manner. This is a great gift of Chinese leadership to Pakistani people and the world-class travel facilities will be made available to the people due to this project. The Chinese government has made the people of Pakistan proud by vehemently negating the baseless allegations of a TV channel with regard to Multan Metro. The Chinese government officially denied such baseless allegations in a strict manner. This contradiction of the Chinese government has elevated not only my personal honor but also that of the people as well.

The Chief Minister Punjab and Chinese Ambassador jointly cut a cake on the National Day of China and offered its pieces to each other. The Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif also hosted a farewell dinner in honor of the outgoing Chinese Ambassador.