Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met with his Chinese counterpart on Friday to hold the second round of the China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue in the Chinese province of Hainan.
Qureshi, who is accompanied on the two-day official visit by
senior officials, led the Pakistani delegation in the strategic dialogue while
the Chinese side was led by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on the
coronavirus pandemic, bilateral relations and international and regional issues
of mutual interest, according to a joint press release issued after the
dialogue.
They also "reached consensus to collectively take
measures to safeguard their common interests and promote peace, prosperity, and
development in the region", the statement said.
While reiterating that the 'China-Pakistan All-weather
Strategic Cooperative Partnership' is beneficial to international and regional
peace and stability, the two sides showed commitment for enhancing mutual
strategic trust, strengthening cooperation, maintaining the momentum of
high-level exchanges, further advancing the construction of the Belt and Road
Initiative, promoting bilateral relationship to a higher level, and delivering
greater benefits to both countries and the two peoples.
According to the press release, the Chinese side reiterated
that Pakistan and China are "iron brothers" and Pakistan remains
China’s "staunchest partner" in the region and that Beijing firmly supports
Pakistan in safeguarding its territorial integrity, sovereignty and
independence.
The Pakistani side, meanwhile, reaffirmed its 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 the China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC) has entered a "new phase of high-quality development"
and will continue to play an important role in supporting Pakistan to overcome
the impact of Covid-19 and achieve greater development.
They vowed to continue to firmly advance the construction of
CPEC, ensure in-time completion of under-construction projects and focus on
economic and social development.
The Foreign Office quoted Qureshi as saying that the on-time
completion of projects planned under CPEC Phase II "is one of our top
priorities".
He said the energy projects worth Rs13 billion agreed
between China and Pakistan will help further strengthen economic cooperation
between the two countries.
China says Kashmir should be resolved peacefully
During the dialogue, the Pakistani delegation briefed the
Chinese side on the situation in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The Chinese side reiterated that "the Kashmir issue is
a dispute left over from history between India and Pakistan, 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", according to the joint press release, which said "China
opposes any unilateral actions that complicate the situation."
While agreeing to deepen coordination and cooperation to
safeguard mutual interests, Pakistan and China reaffirmed their support for
multilateralism, free trade and win-win cooperation, and opposition to
"unilateralism, protectionism and coercive practices".
The two sides agreed that Pakistan and China have "set
an example for international community" to jointly fight the Covid-19
pandemic and agreed to further strengthen cooperation in developing a vaccine
to defeat the virus and strive to promote establishment of China-Pakistan
Community of Shared Future and Community of Common Health.
They opposed politicising the pandemic and "labelling
viruses" and called on the international community to increase the sense
of "a community of shared future".
The two countries agreed to strengthen cooperation on the
Afghan issue and encouraged relevant parties in Afghanistan to seize "this
historic opportunity" and commence intra-Afghan negotiations at the
earliest.
China also appreciated Pakistan’s contribution to the Afghan
peace process and efforts for promoting peace and stability in the region,
according to the statement.
The press release emphasised that the China-Pakistan
strategic partnership "remains unaffected by the vicissitudes of the
regional and international developments and continues to move from strength to
strength".
In a video message released before his departure, Qureshi,
who is scheduled to return today (August 21), said he was going on a “very important
trip to China” and that he had a discussion with Prime Minister Imran Khan
before leaving.
“I am leaving on a very important visit to China. I had a discussion with the prime minister regarding this visit yesterday. My delegation will represent the stance of the political and military leadership of the country. I am hopeful that my meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi will prove to be beneficial for both countries,” the foreign minister said.
