ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has reiterated that Islamabad firmly adhered to the one-China principle as the nation always chooses to stand on the right side of history.
“Pakistani people loved China as “there is no conditionality between us,” the president remarked in an interview with the Chinese media published today, marking the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and China.
Recalling the rapport between the previous leaders of the two nations, Asif Ali Zardari said, “My late father-in-law, Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto told the nation to look East, to look towards China.”
President Zardari, who had visited China around nine times during his first term as Pakistani president, reaffirmed Islamabad’s position of upholding the one-China principle, rejecting any form of “Taiwan independence.”
“Taiwan is part of China. There’s no other way,” President said, saying that Pakistan will always stand with China and safeguard China’s core interests.
Commenting on the development of Gwadar Port, a starting point of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Pakistan’s President said a lot of work had been done at the Gwadar Port since the launch of the CPEC eleven years ago, noting that the Port would always welcome investors from across the world.
Zardari said that Pakistan is encouraging more schools to adopt the Chinese language into their compulsory curriculum. Emphasizing the significance of strengthening people-to-people exchanges between the two nations, he called for more policies to facilitate the movement of people between the two nations.
Appreciating the achievements made by the people of China, President Zardari said that ensuring the continuation of policies is one of the major reasons behind Beijing’s success and Islamabad hoped to be more involved in China’s development process.
