Visiting FM says helping Pakistan for economic recovery China’s priority

ISLAMABAD    -   Pakistan and China have reaffirmed the resolve to work together for pro­moting regional peace and prosper­ity as well as jointly cope with ex­ternal challenges. This commitment was reiterated when Chinese For­eign Minister Mr Qin Gang on Pres­ident Dr Arif Alvi at at Aiwan-e-Sadr here yesterday. 

Both the sides also emphasised the need to further advance and deepen the bilateral cooperation in the ar­eas of trade, economy, culture and defence for the mutual benefit of the two countries. They also called for increasing bilateral exchanges, peo­ple-to-people contacts, and coopera­tion in the fields of culture and tour­ism to further cement bilateral ties. 

The meeting was also attended by the Minister of State for Foreign Af­fairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sun Weidong, and senior government of­ficials of Pakistan and China.

Welcoming the Foreign Minister of China, the President said that Paki­stan-China relations were rooted in mutual trust, understanding, good­will and both sides firmly supported each other on core issues. 

He highlighted that Pakistan-Chi­na mutual cooperation was assum­ing an even greater significance in the light of new developments tak­ing place in the regional and inter­national arenas. 

The President said that Pakistan was committed to the completion of China Pakistan Economic Corri­dor (CPEC) and Gwadar port, which would play a significant role in the promotion of bilateral trade, besides enhancing regional trade and connec­tivity. He said that Pakistan would take effective measures to ensure the security of the Chinese personnel working on various CPEC projects.

He expressed optimism that the recent opening of Khunjerab Pass would facilitate the movement of goods from Xinjiang to Gwadar and vice versa. 

The President emphasised the need to increase economic and com­mercial cooperation, particularly in the IT and agriculture sectors, add­ing that Chinese investors should benefit from Pakistan’s business and investment friendly policies. 

He expressed concern over the planned holding of G-20 Summit events by India in the Indian Ille­gally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and termed it an attempt on the part of India to divert the world’s attention away from the ground re­alities and its atrocities against the people of IIOJK. He said that Paki­stan supported China on all its core issues, including the “One-China pol­icy”, Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and the South China Sea. He also appreciated the support pro­vided by China during last year’s un­precedented floods in Pakistan and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

State Councillor and Foreign Min­ister of China, Mr Qin Gang, said that China and Pakistan were all-weather friends and the friendship between the two countries was “as solid as a rock”.