ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday conferred its highest civilian award ‘the Nishan-e-Pakistan’ on Chinese President Xi Jinping for his outstanding contribution in promotion of relationship between the two countries.
The awards-giving ceremony was organised at the President House where President Mamnoon Hussain conferred the award on Xi Jinping.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Federal Ministers, Members of National Assembly and Senate, Services Chiefs and Chinese delegation were also present on the occasion.
He also held bilateral talks with Hussain, who later hosted a luncheon in his honour.
Xi, who arrived in Islamabad on Monday on his first state visit to Pakistan, inked various agreements with Pakistan government especially the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project of US $45 billion with the objective to link the China and the Arabian Sea directly which would bring growth to the restive western Chinese region of Xinjiang, and boost the Pakistani economy and transform the country into a regional economic hub.
The award followed the Chinese president’s address to a joint sitting of Parliament called in honour of the visiting dignitary, where Jinping hailed the longstanding Pakistan-China relationship and called the neighbouring country its ‘Iron Brother’.
Jinping’s address was the first address by any Chinese president to a joint sitting of Pakistan’s Parliament.
