LAHORE - The Chinese Consulate in Lahore honoured 17 outstanding personalities and 4 institutions with friendship awards in the context of Pakistan-China friendship, taking into account the merits and participation and representation of stakeholders. Chinese Consul General Zhao Shireen gave awards to the leading personalities including Nawa-i-Waqt Group Managing Director Rameeza Majid Nizami, former Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri and others. Director General operations Lt-Col (Retd) Sayed Ahmed Nadeem Qadri participated and received the award on behalf of Rameeza Majid Nizami. The Chinese Consulate has previously honored several personalities with Pakistan-China Friendship Awards last year as well. Consul General Zhao Shireen thanked the participants and said he is so delighted to hold this small event to distribute the Friendship Awards of the Consulate General of China in Lahore to the selected and distinguished group of individuals and institutions of Pakistan. With the year of 2022 almost drawing to a close, it is high time to celebrate and thank you all for the wonderful efforts and great endeavors made in promoting the Chinese narrative in Pakistan, strengthening our bilateral relations and enhancing practical cooperation in various sectors, he said. ‘Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid a successful maiden visit to China, and the CPeC projects are gaining new momentum into its high-quality development. Although our two countries are facing and dealing with various kinds of difficulties, challenges and problems on both domestic and international fronts, the state of our bilateral relations is strong and will remain so and even grow stronger in the coming days. Against this backdrop, the Consulate General of China in Lahore has also made its tireless efforts in promoting mutual trust, business cooperation, cultural and educational exchanges between China and the Punjab. My team have been working very hard and their performance is exemplary. You are friends of the Chinese people. And you are the invaluable assets of the long-standing and ever-growing China-Pakistan friendship, “he said. He said the year 2023 marks a defining moment for us to further cement the partnership between our two countries and peoples, and our collaboration should also be more dynamic, resilient, sustainable and achieve a new height through our mutual concerted efforts.