Timeline of China-Pakistan Friendship Pakistan Ka Khuda Hafiz
Following are some of the most important events in relations between the two neighbours.
- 1950 Pakistan becomes third non-communist country, and first Muslim one, to recognize China.
-1951 Beijing and at the time Karachi established diplomatic relations between themselves in the month of May.
-1970 Pakistan helps US make contacts with China that result in visit to China by then US National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger in 1971.
-1978 Karakoram Highway linking mountainous Northern Pakistan with Western China officially opens.
-1980s China and US supply help through Pakistan to Afghan guerrillas fighting Soviet occupational forces.
-1986 China and Pakistan reach comprehensive nuclear Co-operation Agreement.
-1996 Chinese President Jiang Zemin pays state visit to Pakistan.
-1999 A 300-megawatt nuclear power plant, built with Chinese help in Punjab province, is completed. China is helping to build a second 300-megawatt nuclear plant due to be finished by 2010.
-2001 A joint-ventured Chinese-Pakistani tank, the MBT-2000 (Al-Khalid) MBT, comes into full production.
-2002 Chinese Vice Premier Wu Bangguo attends ground-breaking ceremony for Pakistans Gwadar deep-sea port. China provides $198 million for $248 million joint project.
-2003 Pakistan and China signed a $110 million contract for the construction of a housing project on Multan Road in Lahore [7]
-2007 Sino- became Pakistans biggest arms supplier with no strings attached, a true strategic partnership.
-2007 Sino-Pakistani joint-ventured multirole fighter aircraft JF-17 Thunder (FC-1 Fierce Dragon) is formally rolled out. 2008, Pakistan starts mass production of the aircraft.
-2008 China warns US of war against Pakistan, during which former president, Pervez Musharraf, visits China, Musharraf raised issues of US attacks inside Pakistan.
Pakistans foreign office (the first foreign issue to speak of Tibet) speaks for more than three times per month on the Tibet issue, calling for the world to stop opposing China and the Olympic Games.
Pakistan welcomes Chinas Olympic Torch warmly. Pakistan became the first country not to protest against Tibet when the torch arrived. In fact, when the torch passed through the rural hinterland of the capital Islamabad, local villagers showered rose petals upon the procession. As a result, China thanked Pakistan for its continuous support.
-2008 China and Pakistan sign an FTA (free trade agreement). It is the first such agreement signed by the two countries. As a direct result China has opened new industries in Pakistan and Pakistan has been given free trade zones in China.
-2008 China vows to help Pakistan in civil nuclear technology by building and helping in the Khusab Nuclear Programme providing technology to Pakistan for better maintenance of civil nuclear plants.
-2008 Pakistan and China to build first ever train route through the Karakoram Highway, ultimately linking Chinas rail route-net to Gwadar Port.
-2008 The F-22P frigate, comes into service with the Pakistani Navy. The first frigate was inducted in Pakistani Navy in July 2009 and last one is expected to be in 2013.[