Urdu version of President Xi's book launched in Pakistan

A book on President Xi Jinping's views on the governance of China has been released in Urdu in Pakistan.

At the launch of the Urdu language version of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China in Islamabad on Friday, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said China had been modernizing its economy and governance "with tremendous speed and precision".

"From this book, we learn how China has transformed itself in the last four decades," Sharif said referring to China's belief in "putting people first" at the launching ceremony of the book.

The book contains 79 speeches, talks, interviews, notes and letters by President Xi between November 2012 and June 2014.

It briefs readers on China's development, domestic and foreign policies, and responses to the concerns of the international community.

Urdu is the state language of the South Asian country, while English is its official language.

The English version of the book was released in Pakistan in December, 2014.

China International Publishing Group and the Pakistan-China Institute have worked together to translate the book into Urdu to facilitate reading by more Pakistani readers.

Jiang Jianguo, vice head of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and minister of the State Council Information Office, noted that as protectionism and isolationism are on the rise worldwide, President Xi's proposal on building a "community of shared destiny" showed China's sense of duty and wisdom.

As a good friend and neighbor of China, Pakistan is a key hub in the Belt and Road Initiative, and China invites countries to take the express train of its development, Jiang said.

The Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Sun Weidong, said the book opens a new window for the people of Pakistan to understand and access China, and it tells stories of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation between China and its neighbors.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, as a pilot project of the Belt and Road Initiative, is taking the lead, Sun noted.

Prime Minister Sharif described the corridor as "a symbol and icon of togetherness".

The corridor is achieving early results in areas of infrastructure and connectivity, and will bring more investment and jobs to the country, Sharif said.

Mushahid Hussain, Chairman of Pakistan's Parliamentary Committee on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Chairman of the Pakistan-China Institute, said the two countries share common views on development and connectivity.

He said the Urdu version of President Xi's book was a good example of teamwork.

The CPEC will benefit not only the two countries but also the region, and the two countries will continue to "scale the heights", he said.

Earlier this month, the Thai and Cambodian versions of the book were launched.