General Li Zuocheng, chief of the Joint Staff Department under the Central Military Commission (CMC), met with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa in Dushanbe and pledged to further improve bilateral ties, reports Chinese Defence Ministry.
Both of them were in the capital of Tajikistan to attend the second high-level military leaders’ meeting on Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism (QCCM) in counterterrorism by armed forces of Afghanistan-China-Pakistan-Tajikistan.
Li said that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic partners, and the two sides are constantly strengthening all-round cooperation in accordance with a series of important consensus reached by leaders of the two countries.
The QCCM embodies the determination and confidence of the armed forces of the four countries to jointly fight against terrorism and maintain regional peace and stability; the Chinese side is willing to work together with all the parties to strengthen and fulfill the quadrilateral mechanism and provide security products for the peaceful development of the region, in accordance with the principle of mutual respect, consultation, cooperation, and pragmatic effectiveness, Li said.
Having experienced a protracted war of anti-terrorism and paid a great deal for it, Pakistan knows the serious harm to regional security posed by terrorism, Bajwa said.
Pakistan thanks the Chinese people and military for their support to Pakistan’s anti-terrorism efforts, and fully supports the construction of the QCCM, Bajwa added.
The promotion of Li Zuocheng as the new military chief of staff demonstrates China’s determination to improve the military’s combat capability, experts said.
The two military commanders also availed the opportunity, discussing matters relating to regional peace and stability.