NEW YORK: Pakistan and China will maintain close high-level exchanges and carry forward their unbreakable all-weather friendship, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday.
In a meeting with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Yi said President Xi Jinping of China met with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, during which the two leaders conducted in-depth and friendly exchanges, jointly charting the course for the development of bilateral relations and injecting strong impetus into the two nations’ all-weather friendship.
China, Yi said, is ready to work with Pakistan to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, jointly build the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with high quality, build flagship projects along the Belt and Road, and accelerate the building of a closer China-Pakistan community of a shared future.
He added that at present, Pakistan is fighting severe floods and is faced with complex and arduous tasks of post-disaster reconstruction.
Noting the Chinese government and people will always stand by the Pakistani side, Yi expressed his belief that under the leadership of the Pakistani government and with the united efforts of people of all walks of life, Pakistan will surely overcome its difficulties soon, achieve more vigorous, safer and sustained development, and play a more important role in regional and international affairs.
Yi expressed the hope that the Pakistani side will well implement the upgraded protection mechanism to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel in Pakistan and provide a solid guarantee for practical cooperation between the two sides.
Calling the forthcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) a historic milestone, Zardari said he firmly believes the congress will be a complete success and help China achieve greater prosperity.
Pakistan has always regarded its relationship with China as a cornerstone of its foreign policy, which has become a common understanding of Pakistani society, he said.
Zardari expressed his gratitude for China’s support for Pakistan’s fight against Covid-19 and floods.
Islamabad is ready to work with China to follow through with the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, keep close strategic collaboration, consolidate the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, and deepen the all-round cooperation between the two countries, he said.
Pakistan will continue to unswervingly uphold the one-China policy, and firmly stand by the Chinese side on all issues concerning China’s core interests, including those related to Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Zardari added.
