Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Wednesday that China had supported Pakistan’s cause at the international level by telling the United States to appreciate Pakistan’s sacrifices in the war on terror and avoid harming its sovereignty, APP reported.
“China supported Pakistan’s cause on its own,” Gilani said, referring to the recent Sino-US strategic and economic dialogue in Washington, where the Chinese leadership conveyed to the US that Pakistan should be helped and its honour should be upheld keeping in view its sacrifices in the war on terror. “The international community must understand and support Pakistan’s efforts towards maintaining domestic stability and realising economic development,” Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was quoted by Chinese state TV as saying.
Jiabao assured his Pakistani counterpart of China’s “all-weather friendship” during the visit, which sharply contrasted with anger between Washington and Islamabad. Rejecting the notion that Pakistan was turning to China after a souring of relations with the US over the Abbottabad operation that killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, Gilani said the visit had been planned well before the US operation and the subsequent rift between the two increasingly uneasy allies, to mark the 60 years of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and China.
Jiabao appreciated the role Pakistan was playing in countering terrorism and said that the international community should not forget the “huge sacrifices” made by the country in the global campaign against terrorism and extremism.
“I wish to stress here that no matter what changes might take place in the international landscape, China and Pakistan will remain forever good neighbours, good friends, good partners and good brothers,” Wen told Gilani at the start of a meeting in central Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.
“Currently, China and Pakistan both regard each other as diplomatic cornerstones and important backers,” said a commentary in the overseas edition of the People’s Daily, China’s main government newspaper. “I do believe that this visit will give a strong boost to the friendship and cooperation between our two countries and take that friendship and cooperation to a new high,” Jiabao said. Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar said Wen and Gilani discussed the Abbottabad operation and its repercussions during their talks.
“We told them (Chinese delegation) that our sovereignty had to be accepted by everybody. We will not let anybody come into our territory without announcing who they are,” he said. Gilani echoed Jiabao’s sentiments, saying Pakistan and China were close friends and good neighbours. “Our all-weather friendship is deeply rooted in the hearts and minds of our two peoples,” he said in a speech at a cultural forum in the eastern city of Suzhou.
During their talks, Jiabao and Gilani discussed Islamabad’s desire to increase production of the JF-17 – a fighter jet jointly developed by China and Pakistan – and its plans to buy China’s J-10 combat aircraft, Mukhtar said. China reportedly agreed to provide 50 JF-17s to Pakistan on an emergency basis, Online news agency reported. Chinese State Councillor Liu Yandong also told Gilani that China would extend full support to its “strategic partner” despite the volatile international political situation, APP reported.
Gilani called upon the international community to use dialogue for a harmonious relationship and said the cultural interaction could do wonders for global peace. The two countries inked a banking agreement, an economic and technical cooperation agreement and an agreement to extend the Saindak Gold and Copper Mining Project till 2017. China also offered a $70 million RMB grant for flood reconstruction and a $100 million RMB soft loan to Pakistan.
The agreements include a memorandum of understanding between the China Banking Regulatory Authority and State Bank of Pakistan.
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