Islamabad: Pakistan’s President, Dr Arif Alvi said on Friday that Islamabad was committed to the completion of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects and Gwadar port, which would play a key role in the promotion of bilateral trade, besides further enhancing regional trade and connectivity, President’s media office said.
The President said that Islamabad would take effective steps to ensure the security of the Chinese officials working on different CPEC projects. President Alvi expressed optimism that the recent opening of Khunjerab Pass would also facilitate the movement of goods from China’s city Xinjiang to Pakistan’s city Gwadar and vice versa.
Pak-China vow to Complete CPEC
He expressed these views during a meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister at President House in Islamabad. Welcoming the Chinese Foreign Minister, he said that Pakistan-China ties were rooted in mutual trust and understanding, and the two sides also firmly supported each other on core issues and problems. He emphasised that Pakistan-China mutual cooperation was assuming an even greater importance in the light of new developments taking place at the regional and global levels.
President Alvi emphasised the need to further enhance economic and commercial cooperation, especially in the IT and agriculture fields, saying that China’s investors should also benefit from Pakistan’s business friendly policies.
He expressed deep concern over the planned holding of G-20 Summit by India in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and also termed it an attempt on the part of New Delhi to divert the international community’s attention away from the ground realities and Indian atrocities against the people of Kashmir. He added that Pakistan supported Beijing on all its core issues, including the “One-China policy”, Tibet, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and the South China Sea. The President also lauded the support provided by Beijing during last year’s unprecedented floods in the South Asian country and the COVID-19 epidemic.
On his part, China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang said that Beijing and Islamabad were all-weather friends and the friendship between the two nations was “as solid as a rock”. He said that in view of the fast-changing world, China and Pakistan needed to further fortify and strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation to meet the new regional and global challenges. The FM called for advancing cooperation in all sectors of mutual interest, particularly on projects of strategic importance.
He stated that China was cognizant of Pakistan’s economic problems, adding that it was the priority of Beijing to help Islamabad. He added that Beijing would welcome Pakistani students to study in China. He thanked the President for visiting China in March 2020 to express solidarity with the government and people of China during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pak-China express its resolve to work together for regional peace
During the meeting Islamabad and Beijing have also reaffirmed their resolve to work together for promoting the regional peace, prosperity and as well as jointly cope with external issues and challenges. Both sides also highlighted the need to further advance and deepen bilateral cooperation in the sectors of culture, trade, economy, and defence for the mutual benefit of the two nations. The two countries also called for increasing bilateral exchanges, people-to-people contacts, and cooperation in the sectors of culture and tourism to further cement bilateral relations.
