Pakistan on Thursday, issued an Rs 70 commemorative coin in partnership with State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to celebrate historical Pak-China friendship.
According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the commemorative coin has been launched to mark the completion of 70 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China.
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An auspicious ceremony was held in Islamabad which was attended by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Mr Nong Rong and Governor SBP Reza Baqir.
The Rs 70 commemorative coin has been carefully designed to reflect and symbolize historic Pak-China relations and shall be issued through exchange counters of SBP Banking Services Corp from Friday June 11th (today).
In his welcome address, Governor SBP – Reza Baqir thanked both FM Qureshi and the Chinse ambassador Mr Nong Rong for their participation in the event.
It is an honor for State Bank to be part of the tribute being paid by the Government of Pakistan by issuing this commemorative coin to celebrate the diplomatic relationship of the two countries, said Reza Baqir.
The Governor SBP also noted that both China and Pakistan are cooperating with each other on various fronts for the common good of people of the brotherly countries.
Addressing the event, FM Qureshi paid homage to the proven Pak-China friendship terming the brotherly country as ‘all-weather and time-tested’ ally.
China-Pakistan relationship is unique in the world; our historic ties stretch over the span of millennia. Historically, academics, monks, travelers and traders frequently traversed the stretches of Trans-Karakorum tracts and laid the foundation of this fraternal bond, said FM Qureshi.
The foreign minister accentuated that during the past 70 years, Pak-China friendship has thrived, and has remain unaffected by the vicissitudes of time and changes in the regional and global environment.
Unrelenting efforts of the successive generations of people and the leadership of Pakistan and China have transformed this relationship into an ‘All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership,’ he added.
Terming China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a symbol of Pak-China friendship, Shah Mahmood Qureshi apprised that following the successful conclusion of its first phase, CPEC has entered into second phase with focus on industrial cooperation, trade, agriculture and socio-economic development. Ground-breaking of Rashakai Special Economic Zone last month has the potential to spur industrialization and enhance our exportable surplus.
The minister also expressed gratitude to China for its assistance to Pakistan in wake of COVID-19 pandemic which critically enabled Pakistani authorities to limit COVID-19 spread in the country.
Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan – Mr Nong Rong, stressed that both the government and people of China love their Pakistani brethren and desire to see the country making progress in every sphere of life. He said both China and Pakistan share same views on all-important international issues.
It is pertinent to know that is the fourth coin of its kind on the subject of Pak-China relations. The first coin of Rs 10 denomination was issued in October 2009, celebrating the auspicious occasion of 60th Anniversary of founding of Peoples Republic of China. The second coin of Rs 20 was issued in May 2011 to celebrate 60th Anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China as Year of Pak-China Friendship – 2011. The third coin was issued in 2015 to mark “Pakistan-China Year of Friendly Exchange 2015.