BEIJING, Sept 8 (APP): Pakistan and China have immense  reservoir of goodwill and soft power. The legendary  Sino‑Pak bilateral friendship is palpable in streets of both countries and in the majestic halls of governments. “Usually Pakistani and Chinese leaders and people  use six expressions to describe this unique relationship. It is  higher than the mountains, deeper than the oceans, sweeter than honey, stronger than steel, all‑weather and time‑tested”,  said Pakistan Ambassador to China Masood Khan here Tuesday.

In his keynote speech on ôAncient Civilizations and Modern Soft Powerö at the International Conference on Soft Power  and Public Diplomacy held at prestigious Tsinghua University, Ambassador Khan said that Soft power is a recent term but  it has been there with us for thousands of years. 

Terming the topic he likes most, Khan said  he had been speaking on the subject for quite often. 

He pointed out that some believe that Joseph Nye  of Harvard University ôinventedö it in the early 1990s. But we  know that Chinese philosopher Lao Tsu talked about it in the 7th century B.C.; and the Middle Kingdom practiced it  quite effectively. However, the use of the soft power as an instrument of foreign policy and public diplomacy is a recent phenomenon. 

Congratulating the Government, people over the 60th  anniversary of the founding of People’s Republic of China, as  well as Vice‑President Xie Weihe of Tsinghua University, Minister Zhao Qizheng, the Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee  of the CPPCC, professors and distinguished luminaries who present on the occasion, Ambassador Khan recalled that “In 2007 at the  17th National Congress of the Communist Party, President Hu Jintao called for enhancing ôculture as part of the soft power à  to better guarantee the peopleÆs basic cultural rights and interests”.

Khan said that President Asif Ali Zardari, in an  article in China Daily published on February 23, 2009 wrote:  ôPresent day China is a shining star on the international

scene. It represents a phenomenal renaissance of the ancient  and great Chinese civilization. The Chinese economic miracle is a  lesson in sound judgment and solid governance.” 

President Hu Jintao in 2006 described Pakistan and  China as good neighbours, good friends, good brothers and  good partners. President Zardari said: ôIt is a friendship rooted in thehearts and minds of the people of the two  countries,” 

the Ambassador said adding “this is soft power in action”. 

“This I would say is the ultimate success of  public diplomacy. This kind of warmth and exuberance in our  relations and its articulation are not just poetic  expressions. The relationship resonates in the hearts of the people  of the two countries and is fed by the eternal rhythm and constant stream of the ancient civilizations which join us in the modern  world, Khan observed.   

Ambassador Khan said “What is soft power? We know that  hard power is military and economic might of a nation; and  æsoft power stems from values, cultures, and institutions.”

Khan further said that Pakistan today is a cultural cascade connecting South Asia, West Asia, Middle  East, Central Asia, and East Asia. The soft power of ancient civilizations will ultimately unite people of these regions  in their efforts aimed at peace, harmony and economic development because their underlying currents are unifying,  not divisive forces. 

“These currents are there but we have to  make conscious endeavours to rediscover and re‑disseminate themÆ he noted. 

He said that while these civilizational tides from  what now constitutes Pakistan swept across the whole of South  Asia, they also helped establish a lasting bond with China. 

Extending his heartiest felicitations to the Tsinghua International Center for Communication Studies for its accomplishments over the past decade, Ambassador Khan that it is a great honour for him to be invited by Professor Li Xiguang to  speak at this International Conference on Soft Power and Public Diplomacy at Tsinghua University. 

Secondly, there could not have been a better seat of  learning to address and understand multiple dimensions of the  soft power.  

Tsinghua University, Khan said is the most  prestigious higher learning institution and its International Center for Communication  Studies has made substantial  contribution, under the thoughtful and dynamic leadership of  Professor Li Xiguang, to the broadening of the horizons of modern day communication. 

The Center, Ambassador Khan said is a navigator not only of contemporary trends in cross‑cultural  and cross‑civilizational communication but for finding the best modes of dialogue among nations.