by Shi Yu

 

Last May 17th, 52 Pakistani students studying at the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) received a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping. One year later, to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Pakistan, journalists from China Economic Net visited USTB again and have these students for another exclusive interview.

 

In April 2020, the students who were deeply touched by the brotherhood of Pak-China cooperation in fighting COVID-19, wrote a letter to President Xi. In the letter, they recalled their experiences and feelings of studying in China, meanwhile expressed their gratitude to the university for providing care and help for them after the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

On May 17th 2020, they received a reply. In the letter, President Xi extended welcome to excellent youth from all countries in the world to study in China. He also encouraged the students to communicate more with their Chinese peers and join hands with youth from all countries to contribute to promoting people-to-people connectivity and building a community with a shared future for humanity.

 

The letter evoked a warm response among Pakistani students in China. Besides USTB, nearly 20 universities launched campaigns and forums, and nearly 100 Pakistani students from different universities have voiced their opinions.

 

 On May 17th 2021, CEN found these Pakistani students again. In the interview, they all expressed fresh memories of President Xi's reply. The letter has sublimated their views on China and the relationship between the two countries, and continued to motivate them to study hard and prepare to contribute to CPEC.

 

The students said they would devote themselves to the construction of CPEC in the future. Ullah Midrar, a management science and engineering student, told reporters: "President Xi's words confirmed my confidence in the friendship between Pakistan and China. Over the past year, I have often discussed CPEC with my teachers and classmates and combined the CPEC projects with my research. I also have a plan for my career after graduation -- I will use my professional knowledge of project management in the cooperation projects under CPEC, so as to build a bridge connecting Pakistan and China within my capacity. We Pakistani students studying in China will inject fresh blood into the Corridor. We can further open the economic door between our two countries and take our cooperation and connectivity to a new stage.”

 

Zada Shah, a chemical and biological engineering student, agreed with Midrar: "President Xi extended a friendly hand to Pakistan and opened the door of communication. The Chinese government offered us scholarships and a lot of opportunities, meanwhile the Chinese people are warm and friendly to us. We are also working hard to learn and become talents who can better contribute to CPEC."

 

Apart from the encouragement of personal development, President Xi's reply also convinced the Pakistani student community to recognize Pak-China friendship better. Hussain Muhammad Irfan said the letter, which "sparkled with humanitarian warmth", was not only an encouragement to the 52 students, but also shown China’s positive attitude to building a community with a shared future for mankind, the great importance to Pakistan and bilateral relations, and the humanistic care to the people of Pakistan under the epidemic.

 

When asked which sentence in the letter impressed him the most, Irfan said, "Actually, every word of the letter is engraved in my mind, but the words -- 'lives first', have moved me the most. He said: ‘The Chinese government and people put people's lives first and treat foreigners in the country the same as Chinese nationals, making no exception in offering them care. ’ I can feel it very well. We have received great care and protection from the government, the university and the Chinese people."

Students mentioned China aided Pakistan over the past year. Including the initial support of masks, disinfectant, protective clothing and other medical supplies, the medical expert team, and donating COVID-19 vaccine, China has been putting "life first", and has taken bilateral friendship to a new high.

 

At the interview a year ago, Sattar Abdul told reporters that they had never imagined that president Xi would reply to the letter, but he did. It strengthened his determination to contribute to CPEC. Sattar plans to return to Pakistan after graduation, putting his knowledge to use.