China-Pakistan Year of Friendly Exchanges launched in Beijing

The China-Pakistan Year of Friendly Exchanges was launched in Beijing Monday.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong said throughout the year, both sides will hold a series of events to promote understanding, trust and friendship between the two peoples.

He said the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic partnership is facing a huge opportunity, as both sides are pushing forward the construction of a China-Pakistan economic corridor.

The project, proposed in an agreement between the two countries reached in 2013, connects Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to the southwestern Pakistani port of Gwadar.

Sun said China is looking forward to working with Pakistan to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation.

In addition, he expressed hopes that Pakistan could play an active leading role in promoting the construction of the "One Belt, One Road," which are initiatives to revive the ancient Silk Road with a focus on infrastructure.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road are a land-based belt from China via Central Asia and Russia to Europe, and a maritime route through the Straight of Malacca to India, the Middle East and East Africa.

In February 2014, China and Pakistan agreed on launching China-Pakistan Year of Friendly Exchanges in 2015.

Monday's event, organized by the International Centre for Communication of Tsinghua University and Pakistan-China Institution, attracted more than 200 participants from China and Pakistan, including diplomats and business people.