Senator Mushahid Hussain says Chinese language and culture part of 'soft power' in Asian Century, Pak-China Economic Corridor to help revive Pakistani economy

Date : 26-09-2014

Islamabad (Sep 26, 2014): Chairman of Pakistan-China Insititute, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed has said that to capture the huge job market in the projects related to Pak-China Economic Corridor, Pakistani youth and varsities must benefit from the Online Chinese Language classes offered by Pakistan-China Institute. He made these remarks while addressing a ceremony, here at NUML University, to mark the 10th Anniversary of Confucius Institute in Islamabad, which is also considered as 1st Confucius Institute in the Muslim World.

Senator Mushahid, while terming Confucius Institute as a bridge for enhancing friendship between China and the outer world, said the ancient Chinese scholar Confucius was an exemplary educator, thinker, and statesman, adding that his influence on China has shaped the Chinese values and culture to promote soft image, peace and harmony. He said balance of economic, political and cultural power was shifting from West to East, with the 21st Century becoming the 'Asian Century' and peaceful rise of China which is a plus for peace, security and stability. In this context, 'soft power' would play a key role in the 'battle of ideas', and Chinese language and culture are a key component of this 'soft power'.

He also appreciated the role of NUML University and Roots Schools to promote the Chinese language in Pakistan and emphasized the need of popularizing the Chinese language learning throughout the entire education system across the country. He hoped that events such as this anniversary would not only open new windows into the fields of education and culture, but would also serve to open up broader cooperation in every field of life.

Chinese Ambassador, H.E. Sun Weidong, in his key speech, also highlighted the importance of people-to-people contacts and cultural exchange between Pakistan and China, and lauded the cooperation between Confucius Institute and Pakistan-China Institute for promoting this noble cause.

The two-day anniversary celebrations, held at National University of Modern Languages, featured a variety of cultural shows that served to exhibit and promote Pakistani and Chinese culture. The closing ceremony was also attended by the rector of NUML, Masood Hasan and Ms. Riffat Mushtaq, founder of Roots International Schools.