LAHORE: (Monday, May 18, 2026): Chinese Consul General Mr. Sun Yan said that China would continue extending full cooperation to Pakistan in eliminating terrorism and that both countries would keep playing a joint role in promoting peace in the Middle East. He was addressing a ceremony organized by the Punjab University Confucius Institute at the Institute of Administrative Sciences to commemorate 75 years of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China. On this occasion, Chairman Admission Committee Prof Dr. Mahmood Saleem, former Ambassador Mansoor Ahmad Khan, Registrar Dr Ahmad Islam, Director Confucius Institute Prof Dr. Sobia Khurram, Director IAS Dr. Kashif Rathore, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Lahore Prof Dr. Rabia Akhtar, as well as a large number of teachers and students from PU and educational institutions from Sialkot, Bahawalpur, Sargodha, Faisalabad, and Sheikhupura were present. Chinese Consul General Mr. Sun Yan said that Pakistan was the first Muslim country to establish diplomatic relations with China on May 21, 1951. He said that relations between the two countries were “deeper than the oceans and sweeter than honey” and served as an example for the world. He added that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had opened new avenues of development in the sectors of transport, energy, and trade, while both countries were continuing efforts to further strengthen their strategic ties. He said that in order to promote people-to-people connections, it was essential to ease visa policies, expand trade cooperation, and strengthen collaboration between universities and industries. He further stated that Pakistan was an agricultural country and that the use of modern technology could help overcome food security challenges. Representing Vice Chancellor Prof Dr. Muhammad Ali, Prof Dr. Mahmood Saleem thanked the distinguished guests and participants. He said that PU would continue playing its role in further strengthening Pakistan-China relations in the future. Former Ambassador Mansoor Ahmad Khan said that Pak-China friendship was based on mutual trust and that both countries had always supported each other’s strength and stability. He added that during last year’s Pak-India conflict, the world witnessed the impact of defence cooperation between China and Pakistan. Prof Dr. Rabia Akhtar said that Pak-China relations had stood the test of time and that Pakistan’s geostrategic importance gave it a unique position in the region. She said that in the future, Pakistan and China would need to jointly develop knowledge architecture in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Prof Dr. Kashif Rathore said that there was a need to further promote cultural integration, economic cooperation, and constructive engagement between the two countries. He emphasized that nations should focus on learning each other’s languages and that student exchange delegations should be initiated from the school level. He said that Pakistan could learn a great deal from China’s local government system and governance model. Prof Dr. Sobia Khurram said that the 75-year diplomatic relationship between Pakistan and China reflected strong mutual trust and friendship between the two countries. She said that the Confucius Institute was proud to have been promoting educational and cultural ties with Chinese universities for the past ten years. She added that the institute was playing an important role in promoting the Chinese language and organizing cultural programs. She said that the purpose of the ceremony was to highlight the longstanding friendship, mutual cooperation, cultural ties, and educational collaboration between Pakistan and China.