China, Pakistan co-launch Urdu edition of Rose Stories Along the Belt and Road 

A launch event of the Urdu edition of Rose Stories Along the Belt and Road, a book of China's foreign aid stories compiled by the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), was held jointly by the CIDCA and the Pakistani embassy in China on Aug 18, 2023.

Chairman of the CIDCA Luo Zhaohui, Vice-Chairman Zhao Fengtao, Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque, and Ali Khar, head of the company responsible for the Urdu translation, attended the event.

Luo said that the book was firstly compiled and published by the CIDCA in both Chinese and English. It is composed of 66 little stories of Chinese foreign aid against the backdrop of the Belt and Road cooperation, reflecting China's goodwill benefiting the people in recipient countries. Deeply touched by the stories, Khar offered to translate the book into Urdu, which is a tribute to the 10th anniversary of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Luo said. The publishing of the Urdu edition of the book is another rose story that the CIDCA highly appreciates, he added.

China's foreign aid dates back 74 years, covering Asia, Africa, Latin America and the South Pacific. China's foreign assistance has no strings attached and does not ask for returned favors. But it has won sincere friendship and support of the vast number of recipient countries and their people, Luo said, adding that he is confident to see more rose stories throughout the co-construction of the Belt and Road. 

Moin said that the publication of the book reflects the greater love between China and countries along the Belt and Road, and the launch of its Urdu edition is of great help for the Pakistani people to understand China's vision of a community with a shared future for mankind and the practice of Belt and Road cooperation, and demonstrates the iron-clad friendship between the Pakistani and Chinese people. The little stories vividly showcase the gigantic changes brought to other developing countries through China's assistance, he said, urging the international community to unite, cooperate and act together to jointly build a brighter future.

Zhao said that the BRI has yielded fruitful results after a 10-year journey. Two years ago, against the backdrop of global turmoil and a pandemic, both seen in a century, multilateralism facing setbacks, and distracted development agenda, China proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI), aligning with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is a major extension of the BRI, and both of them are key platforms and global public goods provided by China to implement the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind. The GDI has achieved many early harvests, he said. 

Representatives from the foreign media group of the China international news exchange center as well as Xinhua News Agency, China Media Group, China Daily and China News Service attended the event and held thorough discussions related to China’s foreign aid, the GDI and China-Pakistan relations.