--Speech by Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Liu Jinsong at the Departure Ceremony for the Shipment of Tianjin Donated Relief Supplies to Sister Provinces and Cities in Pakistan

On September 15, 2022, Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Liu Jinsong attended the departure ceremony for the shipment of Tianjin donated relief supplies to sister provinces and cities in Pakistan via video link. The following are the main points of his speech:

Recently, Pakistan was hit by severe floods rarely seen in recent years in terms of scale, extent of devastation and long-term impact.

The Chinese side, sympathetic with what the Pakistani people have gone through, has provided timely assistance to the country. On August 29, President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence to President Arif Alvi. The compassionate and powerful message says that "As all-weather strategic cooperative partners and 'ironclad' friends, China and Pakistan have long been sharing weal and woe, rendering mutual assistance, and standing shoulder to shoulder in dealing with natural calamities and other major challenges. When floods hit Pakistan this time, China acted promptly to provide aid, and will continue to provide much-needed assistance to support Pakistan's disaster relief work". Premier Li Keqiang also sent a message of condolence to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Acting upon the instruction of Chinese leaders, the Chinese side has promptly pledged assistance, contacted the Pakistani side to coordinate its delivery, and sent military aircraft to deliver tents and other urgently needed relief materials. Follow-up actions to support Pakistan’s disaster relief and post-disaster reconstruction effort are well underway.

China's assistance is all-dimensional, and involves the whole of government and  society. The Chinese people have actively donated money and materials to the disaster-hit areas of Pakistan. A few hours after the Pakistani Embassy in China opened a dedicated bank account for Prime Minister's Flood Relief Fund 2022, it received a large number of donations. A Chinese schoolboy named Luan Mingxuan even donated all his pocket money. Each story is an illustration of great love, and each act of kindness is done with utmost sincerity. They are exactly what the Chinese idiom has described as "supporting each other through thick and thin", and have proven what the Urdu proverb has said that "walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light". They also fully testify to the fact that China and Pakistan are a community with a shared future and brothers sharing weal and woe.

A prominent feature of China's assistance to Pakistan this time is that China's institutional strengths of pooling resources to accomplish major tasks has been brought into play. Sub-national governments and social organizations have been encouraged to take active actions and leverage their special advantages to form synergy with the central government in providing relief supplies. So far, 12 Chinese provinces and cities have extended a helping hand to our Pakistani brothers. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, drivers have worked against time to transport donated quilts, coats, tents and other winter supplies through the Khunjerab Pass to neighboring Gilgit-Baltistan region, and to bring to people in various parts of Pakistan onions and tomatoes which are essential to their daily life. With Tianjin being Karachi's sister city, the people of Tianjin are very concerned about the safety and well-being of the people in Karachi as well as other parts of Pakistan. Cherishing the friendship, the Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Tianjin Municipal People's Government, feel the urgency of helping Pakistani people out. Responding quickly and effectively, the Foreign Affairs Office of Tianjin Municipal People's Government, has mobilized, in the shortest possible time, large quantities of cash and materials urgently needed by the Pakistani side such as tents, lights, towel blankets, food, and feed. Under the coordination of the Pakistani Embassy in China and the assistance of people of all sectors, they will be delivered to the affected people as soon as possible.

As President Xi Jinping has put it, friendship derives from close contact between the people, and holds the key to sound state-to-state relations. Tianjin's action of love epitomizes the strong public support for the ironclad friendship between China and Pakistan. It is also one of the best practices of China's sub-national governments supporting and participating in the country's overall diplomacy, and contributing to high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and promotion of people-to-people connectivity. We are confident that the relief supplies from Tianjin and other provinces and cities of China will be delivered to our brothers and sisters in Pakistan at the earliest possible time to bring them warmth and strength. We are confident that under the leadership of the Pakistani government and with the efforts of all sectors in Pakistan and the support of the international community, the affected population in Pakistan will prevail over the disaster and rebuild their homes at an early date. We are confident that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will surly bear fruitful results, the China-Pakistan cooperation will beat all odds and evil forces, and the ironclad China-Pakistan friendship will stand all the tests and be further strengthened.

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Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Tianjin Municipal People's Government Luan Jianzhang, Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque, Mayor of Karachi Murtaza Wahab, and Deputy Director of the Department of Asian and African Affairs of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Ji Yongjun attended and addressed the ceremony. Director Luan Jianzhang said that China's assistance to Pakistan is another example that "when one side is in trouble, help pours in from all sides". He said that the disaster will eventually come to an end, and "after the storm comes the rainbow". Ambassador Haque said that Pakistan is highly grateful for Tianjin's support, which will give a strong boost to Pakistan’s disaster rescue and relief effort. At the end of the event, Director Luan Jianzhang announced the formal departure of the shipment to Pakistan. These supplies will be delivered to the disaster-stricken areas as soon as possible to help the affected population tide over the difficult time.