China and Pakistan are good neighbors linked by mountains and rivers and close to each other. The ancient Silk Road had closely linked the two peoples together more than 2,000 years ago. On May 21, 1951, the two countries broke through the ideological barriers and the "iron curtain" of the Cold War and formally established diplomatic relations. Over the past 70 years, China-Pakistan relations have been advancing under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries. Under the joint efforts of the governments and peoples of the two countries, China-Pakistan relations have developed in an all-round way. Pakistan is also affectionately called "Pakistan Iron" by the Chinese people for its profound friendship, "deeper and sweeter than honey." China-Pakistan relationship has not only become a valuable strategic asset of the two countries, but also a model of peaceful coexistence and mutual benefit between countries with different social systems and different cultural backgrounds.

In 2015, President Xi Jinping paid a historic state visit to Pakistan. The relationship between the two countries was elevated to an all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, opening a new chapter in China-Pakistan friendship.

Political mutual trust continued to deepen. President Xi Jinping has maintained close exchanges with Pakistani leaders in a variety of ways, raising the flag and leading the way for the development of relations between the two countries. Since the Pakistani Justice Movement Party government came to power in 2018, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has visited China 3 times and met with President Xi Jinping 4 times to communicate in-depth on bilateral cooperation and international and regional issues of common concern. Thanks to the personal leadership of the leaders, China and Pakistan have given each other strong support on each other's core interests and major concerns, and safeguarded the common interests of the two countries, regional peace and stability, and international fairness and justice.

Practical cooperation has yielded fruitful results. Under the strategic plan of President Xi Jinping, the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has been fully rolled out and continuously expanded, and it has become an important platform for all-round practical cooperation between China and Pakistan. Among the 70 early harvest projects determined by the two parties, 46 projects have been initiated or completed, with a total investment of US$25.4 billion. Driven strongly by the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has entered the fast lane, and the second phase of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement has been reached and entered into force. China has become Pakistan's largest trading partner for 6 consecutive years and Pakistan's largest source of investment for 7 consecutive years.

Humanities exchanges have achieved remarkable results. President Xi Jinping emphasized: "The special friendship between China and Pakistan is a historical choice, deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples." At present, China has set up 1 Chinese Cultural Center, 5 Confucius Institutes and 2 Confucius Classrooms in Pakistan, which has become a cultural exchange. An important platform and an important window for cultural display. In 2021, China and Pakistan signed a memorandum on the mutual translation and publication of classic works and the "Joint Statement on Coordinating the Implementation of the "Asian Cultural Heritage Protection Action"", which will inject new impetus into the humanities cooperation between the two countries.

President Xi Jinping pointed out: “China and Pakistan are true friends who share weal and woe, and good brothers who share weal and woe.” In the face of the sudden outbreak of new coronary pneumonia, China-Pakistan friendship has withstood the test and once again sublimated. The governments, militaries and all sectors of society of the two countries immediately helped each other. China has sent a number of medical expert teams to Pakistan. The two sides donated medical supplies to each other, cooperated in-depth in vaccine assistance, clinical trials, procurement, production and other fields, established a joint prevention and control cooperation mechanism, and jointly opposed the politicization of the epidemic and the use of the epidemic to decontaminate Nameization has set a benchmark for global anti-epidemic cooperation.

Seventy years of hardcore friendship, the new era has reached new heights. At present, both countries are in a critical period of national development. It is the inevitable choice of the two countries to implement the consensus of the leaders of the two countries and jointly build a closer China-Pakistan community of shared future in the new era. The two countries will take the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to carry out higher-level, broader and deeper cooperation, use solidarity and mutual assistance to overcome difficulties together, and use the high-quality development results of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to benefit the people. Standing at a new historical starting point, China-Pakistan relations will be better and better, and the "Pakistan Rail" will be made into steel! Editor/He Yuting