BEIJING: Pakistan’s Embassy in China hosted a National Day Reception and investiture ceremony on the occasion of the 71st National Day of Pakistan here Wednesday evening.Hu Zheng Yue, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs of China was the chief guest on the occasion.Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Masood Khan presented awards on behalf of the President of Pakistan to the dignitaries for their valuable services towards promoting and strengthening Pakistan-China relations:They included Major General (Retired) Cai Bingkui, (Hilal-e-Pakistan), Professor Qin Dahe, (Hilal-e-Quaid-e-Azam), Mr. Wang Xia Ping, Chief Executive of China Harbour Engineering Company in Pakistan,(Sitara-e-Imtiaz) and Mr. Duan Xiu Feng, (Tamgha-e-Khidmat).Speaking on the occasion the recipients of these prestigious awards exrerssed their gratitude to the government and the people of Pakistan and said that they would continue to work for the promotion of Pakistan-China friendship.
Mr. Hu Zheng Yue and Ambassador Masood Khan cut the cake to celebrate the National Day of Pakistan.Ambassador Masood Khan said that this year Pakistan and China are celebrating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. In year 2011, he said, we shall take our bilateral relations to new heights,especially in the areas of economic cooperation and people to people contact.He thanked the Chinese government, People’s Liberation Army, Chinese corporations and thousands of Chinese citizens for their timely,substantial and unconditional help to Pakistan during last year’s floods.Ambassador Khan expressed his gratitude to the Chinese government for participating in the reconstruction effort in Pakistan. He particularly recognized the medical missions sent by the China Earthquake Authority and Armed Services Police Hospital for providing relief to the flood affected people.High ranking civil and military officials of China, diplomats of various countries, representatives of media, civil society and academia as well as members of the Pakistani community attended the ceremony.A renowned Chinese singer and cultural artiste, Ms. Zhu Ming Ying presented Pakistani national songs in Urdu. – APP
