perhaps no relationship between two sovereign states is as unique and durable as that between pakistan and china. on the pakistan side of the himalayas, the mighty range that separates the two countries, china is seen as a true, time tested and reliable friend that has always come through for pakistan. that the pakistan-china friendship is higher than the peaks of himalayas is now a truism without exaggeration. i am certain that on the chinese side a similar sentiment exists for pakistan. it is a friendship rooted in the hearts and minds of the people of the two countries.
it is my privilege to visit china for the second time as pakistani president. for me the pakistan-china friendship is a beautiful legacy bequeathed by shaheed zulfiqar ali bhutto, pakistan's legendary foreign and prime minister and his daughter and my late wife shaheed benazir bhutto, also a beloved prime minister of pakistan.
the pakistan peoples party and our family have had a three-generation relationship with china. from shaheed zulfiqar ali bhutto and then my late wife shaheed benazir bhutto to my son and ppp chairman bilawal bhutto zardari, the friendship continues into the future.
i cannot but feel excited whenever i visit china. it brings great pleasure to see a friend such as china prospering and progressing. present day china is a shining star on the international scene. it represents a phenomenal renaissance of the ancient and great chinese civilization. the chinese economic miracle is a lesson in sound management and solid governance. the manner in which china is developing its infrastructure is an inspiration for countries across the world. the xining-lhasa railroad, the three gorges dam and countless other projects bear testimony to chinese industry and vision.
the pakistan-china friendship is a comprehensive partnership. china has been instrumental in helping pakistan develop its civil and military infrastructure. it has helped pakistan's economic development. chinese assistance and enterprise has been invaluable in areas as diverse as construction of nuclear power plants to dams, roads and industrial estates. the port of gwadar on pakistan's arabian sea coast is a testament to china's friendship with pakistan.
it is my sincere desire to further cement this relationship. there is no reason the two countries cannot grow even closer. china has become the economic engine of asia. it is among the sheet anchors of the international trading and economic system. in the present global economic downturn, china is among the few countries that have the economic muscle to pull the world out of it.
china's trade with many of its neighbors is increasing at a dizzying pace. pakistan needs to join this trend. i believe there is great potential for improvement in this vital area. pakistan-china economic and trade relations must keep pace with political relations between the two countries. we have therefore placed economic cooperation and trade at the heart of this relationship. the two countries have a joint five-year economic plan to give predictability and to allow forward planning in various areas of economic cooperation. we also have a free trade agreement with china and hope to finalize a trade in services agreement shortly.
our objective is to forge win-win partnerships in which both countries gain and which further contribute to the strength of the friendship.
pakistan too can help in china's growth. the global economic downturn may have slowed things down but as the world emerges out of this recession and china resumes its breakneck growth, chinese ports are going to get clogged. given proper infrastructure, the pakistani ports of karachi, port qasim and gwadar are nearer to the chinese heartland than shanghai and hong kong. pakistan can also help channel energy supplies from the gulf to china. pakistan is also a sizeable country in its own right. once we get our economic fundamentals right we can be a useful economic partner, a significant market and a profitable destination for investment.
however in the final analysis it is not just the material benefits of a relationship that determine its durability and longevity. the pakistan-china relationship is much more than a strategic confluence of interests between two countries. the foundation of the relationship, which shaheed zulfiqar ali bhutto had the vision to pursue and cement, is that both countries firmly believe in the principles of sovereign equality, non-interference and bilateral cooperation. they share a close commonality of views on most international issues.
china is an anchor of stability and peace not only in asia but the world. its peaceful rise in a continent full of large countries each with a strong sense of identity, even destiny, bears testimony to the sagacity and wisdom of the chinese leadership. situated in the heart of asia, bordering fourteen countries with japan and the philippines just across the yellow and south china seas, china is the glue holding the continent together - not only in terms of geography but in political and economic terms.
it is amongst the largest if not the largest trading partner of all the countries bordering it. each of these countries has increasingly large stakes in china's economy and each in turn is benefiting from the traction generated by this enormous engine of growth.
china is therefore in a unique position to use these attributes to help its neighboring countries improve relations among and between themselves. for too long, asia has been distracted by rivalries and conflicts between its many great countries. the time has come for asia to show the world a different path where cooperation leads the way and where mutual respect and increasing bonds of trade and economic benefit help overcome hostility and suspicion.
as pakistan grapples with the threat of terrorism, china can help in this area too. pakistan is fighting terrorists not only for its own sake but for the entire region. we are determined not to allow the noxious fumes of this dangerous phenomenon and ideology to spread to other countries. thousands of pakistani citizens, civilian and military, have laid down their lives in this endeavor. indeed terrorists have specifically targeted some of our chinese friends who were working in pakistan to drive a wedge between the two countries and peoples. the sacrifice of these chinese citizens for pakistan's cause is an abiding reminder to us pakistanis of china's friendship with our country.
this time i will visit wuhan and yichang of hubei province, and shanghai to see for myself some of the engines that lie behind china's economic growth. i hope to learn and benefit from the opportunity. i hope that the coming days will help furnish better reminders of our enduring friendship and i hope my visit will serve as one more step in that direction.
asif ali zardari is the president of pakistan
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或许没有哪两个主权国家之间的关系，可以象中国与巴基斯坦之间的一样独特和持久。在喜马拉雅山脉另一侧的巴基斯坦，中国被视为巴真正的，经时间考验的可靠的朋友，总是帮助我们摆脱困难。中巴友谊高过喜马拉雅的最高峰，已是尽人皆知的事实，毫无夸张。我相信中国对巴基斯坦也有同样的感受。彼此之间的友谊深植于两国人民的心里。
作为巴基斯坦总统，我有幸第二次访问中国。与我而言，中巴友谊是一笔继承而来的宝贵遗产，继承于阿里.布托，巴基斯坦传奇的总理和外交部长，以及他的女儿，我的亡妻，深受爱戴的巴总理benazir bhutto.
巴基斯坦人民党和我们家族与中国有三代的友谊。从ali bhutto 到我的前妻benazir bhutto，到我的儿子，人民党主席bilawal bhutto zardari，友谊仍将继续到永久。
无论何时访问中国，我总是情不自禁的感到激动。看到中国这样的朋友繁荣进步，心中万分喜悦。当今世界，中国是国际舞台上闪耀的明星。代表着古老而伟大的中华文明的复兴。中国的经济奇迹是可靠管理和坚实政府治理的典范。中国自我建设的方式给全世界所有国家以启迪。青藏铁路，三峡大坝，和无数其他的工程，证明了中国的工业实力及其视野。
中巴友谊是全方位的伙伴关系。中国帮助巴建设民用和军用的设施，帮助巴的经济发展。中国的援助和努力在不同方面，从核设施建设到水坝，道路已经工业区都是非常宝贵的。阿拉伯海岸的瓜达尔港口，是中巴友谊的见证。
我真诚的愿望进一步加深这份友谊。两国完全可以走的更近。中国已经成为亚洲经济的引擎。是国际贸易与经济体系的最重要的成员之一。在如今的全球经济危机情况下，中国是为数不多的几个国家之一，有经济实力救世界与危难之中。
中国和它的许多领国间的贸易增长速度极快。巴基斯坦需要加入其中。我相信潜力巨大。因此我们已经把发展经贸合作关系放在两国关系的首位。两国有共同的五年经济计划, 在各种经济合作领域做出安排。我们与中国有自由贸易协定，不久还会签订关于服务贸易的协定。
我们的目标是双赢，两国共获益，进一步加深加强两国间的友谊。
中国同样也能帮助中国的经济增长。全球的经济下行或许已经使发展放缓，但是当世界走出衰退，中国继续快速发展的时候，中国的港口将会变得繁忙拥挤起来。经过适当的建设，巴基斯坦的卡拉奇,qasim,和瓜达尔港将比上海和香港离中国的腹地更近。巴基斯坦还可以帮助中国建立从海湾进口石油的通道。巴自身也是相当大的国家，一旦获得经济发展，我们也可以成为一个经济上的好伙伴，一个重要的市场，和一个投资有回报的国家。
然而最终而言，不仅是物质上的互利关系才使两国的友谊持久，中巴友谊关系远不是利益相交使然。两国关系的基础，正如ali bhutto认为所要坚持的一样，是彼此都深信主权平等，不干涉别国内政，双边合作的国际关系准则。对大多数的国际问题有着共同的见解。
中国不仅是亚洲，也是世界和平与稳定之所系。亚洲大国林立，各有强烈的认同，它的和平崛起充分证明了中国领导人的智慧与远见。身处亚洲的核心地区，与十四个国家接壤，与日本和菲律宾，隔黄海和南中国海相望，中国不仅在地理位置方面，在政经方面也使亚洲各国紧密相连。
如果不是最大，也是与其相邻的国家最大的贸易国之一。每个国家都与中国经济密切相关，并从其巨大的经济增长牵引下获利。
因此，中国处在一个非常独特位置，利用它改善与各国的关系和各国之间的关系。过去很长的时间，亚洲苦于各国之间的敌对和纷争。现在是时候，亚洲向世界展示合作发展才是正道，互相尊敬，增进经贸互益可以消除敌对和猜疑。
中国也可以帮助巴对付恐怖主义的威胁，巴与恐怖分子的斗争不仅是为了自己也是为了整个地区。我们有决心不让这种邪恶危险的现象扩散到其他国家。成千上万的巴基斯坦人已经倒在了这条路上，付出了生命的代价。恐怖分子特别针对在巴工作的中国朋友的恐怖活动，试图挑起中国两国人民的不和。援巴人员的牺牲，提醒着我们与中国的友谊。
这次我将访问湖北省武汉和宜昌市，以及上海市。亲眼去看中国增长背后的一些引擎。我希望籍此机会学习获益。我希望接下来的日子里，可以让我们更好的记起中巴长久的友谊。我希望我的访问可以向这个方向更迈进一步。
asif ali zardari 是巴基斯坦国总统