Pakistan and China Wednesday agreed to “deepen strategic cooperation” in existing areas of interest while exploring new avenues for practical collaboration in line with the vision of the leadership of the two countries.
The agreement came during a meeting between the Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz and Cheng Guoping, State Commissioner for Counter Terrorism and Security of the People’s Republic of China, who is on an official visit to Pakistan.
Both the countries vowed to deepen strategic relations with a regional perspective in the backdrop of major regional developments taking place in the region. Only a day back, Russia said it was convening a conference of leading regional powers on Afghanistan and pushed again for talks with the Taliban.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed Moscow would host a meeting in mid-February with representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Iran and India during a press conference with his counterpart from Kabul Salahuddin Rabbani.
“We are expecting that our partners will be represented at a high level. Most have confirmed their participation,” Lavrov said.
Moreover, on Tuesday, China also blocked a proposal by the United States (US) to designate Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist.
PAKISTAN TO SUPPORT CHINA ON CORE ISSUES
During the meeting, Sartaj Aziz and Cheng Guoping discussed a range of issues of bilateral interest as well as developments in the region.
China wants Pakistan to effectively ensure sealing of its borders near the Pakistan, Afghan borders so as no terrorists could sneak into its Muslim majority province, Xinjiang. A major task of Cheng Guoping is to seek assurance from Islamabad that no terrorist would be allowed to sneak into Pakistan to carry out attack on the Chinese installations or the Chinese nationals working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Beijing accuses the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) for carrying out terrorist attacks in Xinjiang and adjoining provinces. ETIM has its bases in Afghanistan where it has support of Daesh and Uzbek militant networks.
Pakistan, however, has assured its full assurance to China to protect its interests.
An official handout issued here said the State Commissioner appreciated Pakistan’s support to China on its core issues, and for ensuring the safety and security of Chinese citizens working on various CPEC projects in Pakistan. He also reiterated China’s full support to Pakistan in its fight against terrorism and extremism.
Sartaj Aziz, the veteran diplomat, said that Pakistan was “committed to deepen its strategic relations” with China.
“At a time when major and profound changes are taking place, both internationally and regionally, strengthening cooperation between China and Pakistan would serve the fundamental interests of the two countries and help promote regional peace and development,” Sartaj Aziz reiterated.
He thanked China for being Pakistan’s trusted friend and a valuable partner in its economic development. He said that Pakistan on its part will continue to support China on all its core issues. The Adviser also stressed on the need to maintain the momentum of high-level contacts between the two countries.
