ISLAMABAD __China reiterated again on Friday that the Kashmir issue is a dispute left over from history between Pakistan and India, which is an objective fact, and that the dispute should be resolved peacefully and properly through the UN Charter, relevant Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements.
China opposes any unilateral actions that complicate the
situation. Both sides underlined that a peaceful, stable, cooperative and
prosperous South Asia was in common interest of all parties. Parties need to
settle disputes and issues in the region through dialogue on the basis of
equality and mutual respect,” read a joint statement released simultaneously in
Beijing and Islamabad at the conclusion of the 2nd Round of China-Pakistan
Foreign Minister’s Strategic Dialogue.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Chinese
counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi headed their delegations. The Pakistani
side briefed the Chinese side on the situation in Indian Occupied Jammu and
Kashmir (IOJ&K), including its concerns, position and current urgent
issues.
China and Pakistan say that their all-weather strategic
cooperative partnership is beneficial to international and regional peace and
stability, and serves the mutual security and development interests of both
countries as well as of international community and regional countries.
Even as talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban
are once again stalled, both China and Pakistan encouraged relevant parties in
Afghanistan to seize this historic opportunity and commence the intra-Afghan
negotiations at the earliest leading to durable peace and stability in
Afghanistan.
“Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation on the Afghan
issue and appreciated the efforts made by Afghan government and the Taliban to
initiate the intra-Afghan negotiations,” said the joint statement.
They emphasised the importance of an inclusive, broad-based
and comprehensive negotiated agreement for future political settlement in
Afghanistan.
China appreciated Pakistan’s positive contribution to the
Afghan peace process and efforts for promoting peace and stability in region
and beyond. The two sides exchanged views on COVID-19 pandemic, bilateral
relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest, and reached
consensus to collectively take measures to safeguard their common interests and
promote peace, prosperity, and development in the region.
Both countries agreed to further strengthen cooperation in
developing a vaccine to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic, and strive to promote
establishment of China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future and Community of
Common Health.
“Pakistan and China have stood in solidarity and worked
together since the COVID-19 outbreak by timely sharing of experiences relating
to the prevention and control of the virus, mutual support in providing medical
materials, and have set an example for international community to jointly fight
the pandemic,” added the joint statement.
Both sides emphasised that unity and cooperation are the most
powerful weapon for the international community against the disease. Both sides
opposed politicising the pandemic, labelling viruses; supported WHO to play a
leading role in global public health governance, and called for the
international community to increase the sense of a community of shared future
and carry out effective joint prevention and control measures in order to
mitigate the negative effects of COVID-19.
China and Pakistan also said they were committed to firmly
implementing the consensus reached between the two leaders, enhancing mutual
strategic trust, strengthening all-round cooperation, maintaining momentum of
high-level exchanges, further advancing construction of Belt and Road
Initiative, promoting bilateral relationship to a higher level, and delivering
greater benefits to both countries and the two peoples.
Both sides agreed on continuing their firm support on issues
concerning each other's core national interests. The Chinese side reiterated
that Pakistan and China are iron brothers and Pakistan remains China’s
staunchest partner in the region and that China firmly supports Pakistan in
safeguarding its territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence,
independently choosing a development path based on its national conditions, striving
for a better external security environment and playing a more constructive role
on international and regional affairs.
The Pakistani side appreciated China for standing together
with Pakistan in safeguarding its national security and sovereignty, and
reaffirmed its firm support to China on affairs concerning China's core
interests and issues of major concern, such as those related to Taiwan,
Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.
Both sides underscored that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
(CPEC) has entered the new phase of high-quality development, and has played
and will continue to play an important role in supporting Pakistan to overcome
the impact of COVID-19 and achieve greater development. The two sides will
continue to firmly advance the construction of CPEC, ensure in-time completion
of those projects under construction, focus on economic and social development,
job creation and improvement of people's livelihood, and further strengthen
cooperation in specialised economic zones, industrial relocation, science and
technology, medical and health, human resources training, poverty alleviation,
and agriculture etc, with the aim to continuously unleash the great potential
of CPEC to make it a hub of regional connectivity.
Meanwhile, President of People's Republic of China Xi
Jingping expressed his gratitude in a letter to his Pakistan counterpart
President Arif Alvi over successful conduct of 2nd Conference of CPEC Political
Parties Joint Consultation Mechanism (JCM) which was held on Thursday.
In reply to President Arif Alvi’s letter, President Xi
Jingping termed CPEC as a ‘landmark project of BRI’. He said that CPEC
exemplifies brotherly Pakistan-China relations and a quest for a shared future
of progress and development between the two countries.
Most importantly, he cited the political parties JCM playing
an important role in promoting political consensus to take CPEC forward within
the framework of BRI..
