ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Tuesday lauded China’s diplomatic and material support to Pakistan in its fight against terrorism.
The prime minister, in a meeting with China’s Executive Vice Foreign Minister Yesui Zhang here at the PM House, expressed his gratitude to the leadership and brotherly people of China for their all weather support, which, he said, was getting stronger with each passing day.
He also thanked the Chinese government for their continued support on Nuclear Suppliers Group and the UNSC 1267 Committee, a PM’s Office statement issued here said.
The prime minister termed Pakistan and China iron brothers, saying friendship with China was the cornerstone of the country’s foreign policy.
He said the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was the game changer, going to transform the lives of billions of people of the region.
Nawaz Sharif welcomed the participation of Executive Vice Foreign Minister as a representative of the Government of People’s Republic of China in the ECO Summit, on special invitation. He said the theme of the summit was ‘Connectivity for Regional Prosperity’, which was convergent with China’s One-Belt One-Road.
“Our bilateral flagship initiative CPEC would provide us an opportunity to emphasize the strategic benefits for the ECO region and beyond,” he said. Nawaz Sharif said he looked forward to his visit to China this May to participate in the ‘Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF)’ at the invitation of President Xi Jinping.
The meeting from Chinese side was attended by Ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong, Director General Asian Affairs Xio Qian and Counselor Asian Department Chen Feng.
PM’s Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi, Secretary to PM Fawad Hasan Fawad, Foreign Secretary-designate Tehmina Janjua and other senior officials were also present.
