BEIJING -- A group of about 100 students belonging to various schools of Pakistan visited the Pakistan Embassy College Beijing (PECB) here this morning.

Invited by the Chinese National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, these students are attending a Summer Camp organized by Shandong University in different cities of China.

The students, studying Chinese language in Pakistan, belong to Aitcheson College, Roots School, City School, GSIS, Foundation School, Modern Languages School as well as the Confucius Institute. During their two-week stay they visited Urumqi, Jinan, Shandong, Shanghai and Beijing.

Students of PECB and the visiting students from Pakistan sang Pakistani and Chinese national anthems and different songs in Chinese language.

Talking to the students Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Masood Khan said that the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao during his state visit to Pakistan in December 2010 had announced to invite Pakistani young students to visit China.

Ambassador Khan attributed the rapid development of China to the dedication of Chinese leadership and the harmonious nature of Chinese society. He said the Pakistani nation is also determined to rise and expressed the confidence that being a vibrant nation Pakistan would succeed in this endeavour.

He appreciated the student’s decision of learning the Chinese language and said: “You have chosen the right path for learning Chinese language, as by learning any language it is easy to understand history and culture of any nation.”

He said the young Pakistani students are second to none and have all ingredients to lead the country in the comity of nations and urged them not to underestimate themselves as they are as brilliant as students from any other country.

During the Q&A session, Ambassador appreciated the knowledge and wisdom of the students.

Earlier, in his speech Mr. Zhang, representative of the Confucius Institute Islamabad, said the exchange of students delegations between the two countries gives good exposure to the younger generation about this legendary friendship.

He said the visit gave Pakistan students an opportunity to get firsthand knowledge about China and experience the country’s rich and diverse culture.

Students and faculty members of PECB, Embassy officials and members of the Pakistani community attended the event.