From September 5 to 6, the International Academic Symposium Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations Between China and Pakistan, titled “Inheritance, Innovation, and Win-Win Cooperation: Building a Community with a Shared Future for China and Pakistan in the New Era”, was held at Peking University. The symposium was jointly hosted by the Center for Pakistan Studies of Peking University, the Embassy of Pakistan in China, the Department of South Asian Studies of the School of Foreign Languages at Peking University, and the Understanding China Forum of Pakistan. China Three Gorges South Asia Investment Limited (CSAIL) served as a co-organizer. Experts and scholars, former diplomats, and business representatives from China and Pakistan gathered to discuss the historical experience, current challenges, and future directions of cooperation in bilateral relations.
Group Photo at the Opening Ceremony
On the morning of September 5, the opening ceremony of the symposium was held at the Science Lecture Hall of Zhongguanyuan Global Village, Peking University. Attendees included Khalil Hashmi, Ambassador of Pakistan to China; Jiang Guohua, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee of Peking University, Provost and Director of the Publicity Department; Luo Zhaohui, former Chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency and former Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan; Chen Ming, Dean of the School of Foreign Languages, Peking University; Qin Guobin, President of China Three Gorges International Corporation(CTGI); and Tang Mengsheng, Founding Director of the Center for Pakistan Studies, Peking University; along with several former Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan and former ambassadors of Pakistan to China. Ambassador Khalil Hashmi, Deputy Secretary Jiang Guohua, Mr. Qin Guobin, and Professor Tang Mengsheng delivered speeches in turn. The opening ceremony was moderated by Zhang Jiamei, Director of the Center for Pakistan Studies, Peking University.
Jiang Guohua delivers a speech Khalil Hashmi delivers a speech
Following the opening ceremony, the keynote session was moderated by Tang Mengsheng. Luo Zhaohui delivered a report titled “New Developments in Pakistan and New Perspectives on China-Pakistan Cooperation”. Salman Bashir, former Foreign Secretary of Pakistan and former Ambassador of Pakistan to China, spoke on “Translating Strategic Trust into Shared Prosperity: New Directions for Deepening China-Pakistan Cooperation.” Liu Yonggang, Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Legal Adviser of CSAIL, presented on “Introduction to China Three Gorges International Corporation’s Investment Projects in Pakistan”.
Luo Zhaohui delivers a report Salman Bashir delivers a report
On the afternoon of September 5, the symposium featured three sub-forums, focusing respectively on China-Pakistan relations, the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and people-to-people exchanges and educational cooperation. Sub-forum One, themed “The Current Situation and Future Prospects of China-Pakistan Relations: Regional and International Perspectives”, was moderated by Lin Minwang and Huang Yunsong for the first and second sessions respectively. Sub-forum Two, themed “The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor: Achievements, Challenges, and Future Directions”, was moderated by Liu Zongyi and Wang Nan for the first and second sessions respectively. Sub-forum Three, themed “China-Pakistan People-to-People Exchanges and Education: Cultivating Future Builders”, was moderated by Li Xiguang and Kong Julan for the first and second sessions respectively.
On the morning of September 6, a roundtable forum and the closing ceremony of the main session were held. Tang Mengsheng reviewed the 75-year history of China-Pakistan relations and put forward cooperation proposals centered on strategic mutual trust, the upgrading of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, security coordination, and people-to-people exchanges. Masood Khalid, former Ambassador of Pakistan to China, emphasized the need to consolidate bilateral relations through institutionalized cooperation and people-to-people exchanges and to expand opportunities for regional cooperation. Chen Lijun, Zahid Anwar, Li Xiao, and Tahir Farooq delivered keynote speeches respectively on economic and trade cooperation, cultural and educational exchanges, the spread of Buddhist architecture from Gandhara to the Western Regions(Xiyu), and cooperation in emerging fields and youth participation.
Group Photo of Participants
On the afternoon of September 6, the Urdu Forum for Chinese and Pakistani Scholars and the Commemorative Event for the 80th Anniversary of the Founding of the Discipline of Oriental Studies at Peking University were held in Conference Room 206 of the Foreign Language Building (Waiwenlou), Peking University. Scholars from Peking University, Beijing Foreign Studies University, the University of the Punjab, Pakistan, and the National University of Modern Languages, Pakistan participated in the discussion. The forum was moderated by Professor Kong Julan.
Group Photo at the Urdu Forum
The international symposium facilitated discussions on international politics, economic cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges. It provided academic reflections and cooperation proposals for deepening China-Pakistan relations, advancing the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and building an even closer community with a shared future for China and Pakistan in the new era.
Contributed by Cen Siyi, Lu Dongqiong, Lai Sijia,
Jin Yunhao, Liu Shen, Li Beichen
Translated by Hou Yifan