Senior Chinese official granted Pakistan civil award

Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque conferred the civil award of Pakistan upon "Hilal-i-Pakistan" Song Tao in recognition of his outstanding services toward Pakistan and the strengthening of China-Pakistan relations, during a special investiture ceremony at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Nov 19.

Song is the minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC) Central Committee, and a member of the 19th CPC Central Committee. He has been a great friend of Pakistan and an ardent advocate for the China-Pakistan friendship. In his capacity as minister of the IDCPC, he has been instrumental in promoting the sustainable and healthy development of China-Pakistan exchanges in the spheres of people-to-people contacts and party-to-party linkages.

Song has played a key role in fostering greater mutual understanding between the CPC and various political parties of Pakistan, thereby contributing to consolidating the all-around social consensus on the China-Pakistan All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership and jointly building a closer China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future in the New Era. He was also the force behind the strengthening of political support for realizing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor's potential as a game-changer for Pakistan's socioeconomic development.

The event was attended by the senior officials of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC) and officers of the Pakistani embassy.