National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar said the Sino-Pak ties have been unparalleled and the duo stood with each other at difficult times.

He was talking to the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China Mr Yao Jing who called on him in Islamabad on Tuesday.

Asad Qaiser said that China and Pakistan were partners in progress and the ongoing collaboration in diverse sectors through CPEC would usher in prosperity for both the countries.

He said Special Economic Zones being established under the CPEC would further generate economic activity in the country.

He suggested for enhancing interaction between business communities of both the countries to further strengthen the existing business relations. He also suggested for enhancing interaction and cooperation between Parliamentary Friendship Groups and Commerce & Agriculture Committees of both the Parliaments.

The speaker said that coronavirus pandemic had affected the world and Pakistan in particular, causing a dent to the progressing economy of the country. He said that the global pandemic had affected the livelihoods of the people specially the underprivileged segments, however, immediate steps taken by the government through its emergent cash and food assistance had mitigated their problems to some extent.

He said that Pakistan immensely values Chinese medical support in the time of crisis. He vowed to extend such cooperation to each other in hour of need in future too.

Later, the Chairman Selyani Welfare Trust Maulana Muhammad Bashir Farooqi and his team joined the meeting.

The speaker apprising the Ambassador about the philanthropic activities of Selyani Welfare Trust under Maulana Muhammad Bashir Farooqi.

Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing said that strong and prosperous Pakistan was the real strength of China. He said that Pakistan had an unrivalled importance in Chinese foreign policy and the leadership of both countries had variously demonstrated an unflinching resolve to further strengthen bilateral relations.

He said that parliamentary interaction could strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and cooperation. He said that CPEC would undoubtedly benefit not only China and Pakistan, but the whole region. He appreciated the efforts of the Speaker and said that his Chinese Embassy would definitely like to involve local development partners for enhancing its social welfare outreach besides mobilizing Chinese companies operating in Balochistan.

The representative of Selyani Welfare Trust apprised about their scope of activities. He informed that his organization was working for provision of free food, medical healthcare, education and skill development to marginalized segments of the society. He briefed them about the ongoing electrification and skill development work in Balochistan.