Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Saturday that China would continue to support Pakistan in safeguarding national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and support Pakistan to choose its own development path.
“China is willing to intensify high-level contacts and strategic communication with Pakistan,” Xi said in a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Mamnoon Hussain.”The China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperation is not only the shared asset of the two countries but also offers a model for building a new type of international relations,” he said.
Mamnoon is in the coastal Chinese city of Qingdao to attend the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. Xi congratulated Pakistan on its participation in the summit as a full member for the first time.
“China will steadily promote the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) construction and strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas such as energy and transportation infrastructure under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).China also expects to enhance its anti-terrorism cooperation with Pakistan,” Xi said.”China and Pakistan will always support each other on issues involving each other’s core interests and safeguard common interests of the two countries as well as other developing countries,” he added.
Mamnoon said that China is a reliable friend and steady partner of Pakistan and that relations between the two countries are unshakable. “Pakistan would adhere to one-China policy and support China’s core interests,” he said. “Pakistan is willing to maintain high-level contacts with China, deepen bilateral cooperation in such terms as economy, trade and security, push ahead with the construction of CPEC, and enhance coordination on global and regional affairs,” he said.”Pakistan supports China to play a bigger role in international affairs, which is important to maintaining global security and stability,” he added.
At a separate meeting, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani assured Mamnoon Hussain that Pakistan can rely on the Islamic Republic to fulfill its energy needs.
Rouhani highlighted the close cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad in various fields, saying, “Iran could be a reliable source for supplying energy to Pakistan.”Stressing the need to strengthen banking cooperation between the two neighbours, Rouhani voiced Iran’s readiness for joint investment with Pakistan in diverse areas. He said Iran welcomes defense cooperation with Pakistan, urging efforts to keep the common borders safe and secure.”As long as terrorists are active, the region will not achieve its development targets,” the Iranian president said, calling for concerted action and mutual cooperation in the war on terrorism.
President Mamnoon, for his part, expressed his country’s resolve to broaden ties with Iran in all fields and also voiced support for Iran’s permanent membership in the SCO. He hailed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as a model for the peaceful settlement of conflicts through dialogue, saying Pakistan supports the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and asks all parties to remain committed to the deal.
Published in Daily Times, June 10th 2018.
