XINJIANG: “I have been to Pakistan as an officer of Chinese Embassy in Pakistan for three times. I have been eating Pakistan’s food and drinking Pakistan’s water for 11 years. I think I am a practitioner, a participant and a witness for China-Pakistan relationship and friendship,” said Yao Jing, former Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Over the past 20 years, according to China Economic Net (CEN), he said he has experienced rapid development of China-Pakistan relations. The economic and trade exchanges between the two countries have gradually expanded. Personnel exchanges have been continuously deepened.
The joint construction of the “Belt and Road Initiative” has been intensified and the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has achieved remarkable results. Moreover, China-Pakistan community of common destiny will become closer in the new era.
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Yao Jing interviewed China Economic Net.
He disclosed his many years of memory, counting the past and looking forward to the future. His original aspirations for China-Pakistan friendship remain unchanged.
Pakistani giving a hand when Chinese in trouble. In 1994, as an attaché to the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, 25-year-old Yao took an international flight from Beijing to Islamabad.
“At that time, I just started my diplomatic career and it was my first trip abroad, I felt particularly impressed that before I arrived in Pakistan, I could feel the special feelings of Pakistani people towards China.”
The flight attendant of Pakistan Airlines introduced the customs of the two countries all the way on the flight. When it passed over the main peak of the Kunlun Mountains, the flight attendant proudly said: “This is K2! It is the border between China and Pakistan.” Yao had a very good impression on his first trip to Pakistan.
“They are familiar with China’s famous places even the mountains and rivers, and I can deeply feel the Pakistanis’ understanding of China and their friendship with China.”
During the first 5 years in Pakistan, Yao has close ties with local people. Once, Yao and his colleagues rented a car from Islamabad to Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city. Unfortunately, the tire burst on the way and the trip was forced to stop.
Lahore’s summer is particularly hot, with daytime temperatures reaching 40 to 50 degree Celsius. When they were stuck on the road, they didn’t know how to find the trailer, and they wouldn’t change the tire.
The embassy staff was helpless standing on the side of the road. “At that time, a few Pakistanis walked by, asked about the situation, and helped us put on the spare tire without saying anything.” Yao said: “As long as the Chinese face difficulties in Pakistan, the local people will step forward to give a hand, as if it were their own issue.”
Disaster enhancing the “iron brotherhood” friendship between China and from7 to 2010, Yao embarked on his second trip to Pakistan. As the Chinese Political Counselor in Pakistan during this period, his work has changed and the relationship between the two countries has also taken a step forward.
“In 2005, a major earthquake occurred in Pakistan’s northwest border, and China did its utmost to help. We are the first batch of countries to provide aid to Pakistan, and all the relief materials are delivered directly to Pakistan from China through special planes.
”According to Yao’s recollection, China’s sincerity has been affirmed by the Pakistani people. When Wenchuan earthquake occurred in 2008, Pakistan also offered their best to support. Pakistan has allocated national reserve funds to urgently transport 22,260 tents from the country’s war-ready inventory to China’s disaster area.
Until 2017 to 2020, covid-19 outbreak during Yao’s third stay as the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan. Pakistan responded immediately and urgently mobilized 300,000 medical masks, 800 sets of medical protective clothing and 6,800 pairs of gloves from the national public hospital inventory to support China.NNI
