President Asif Ali Zardari said on Wednesday militant attacks will not undermine Pakistan’s ties with China, as the two countries pledged to move forward on the next phase of the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Zardari issued the statement during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where both leaders discussed security issues and economic cooperation.
The two leaders took note of the “positive trajectory” of their bilateral relations and reaffirmed their mutual support on core issues of interest. A press release issued from the President’s Secretariat said Zardari met Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
“The two leaders discussed the positive trajectory of Pakistan and China’s bilateral relationship, regional and international issues of common interest, and opportunities to further expand the scope of bilateral partnership, especially through continued high-level exchanges. Underlining the enduring friendship between the two countries, they also reaffirmed support for each other on the issues of core interest,” the statement said.
It added that President Zardari reaffirmed Pakistan’s steadfast commitment to its “all-weather strategic cooperative partnership” with China and underlined the “unique, time-tested and special relationship” between the two countries.
He also commended China’s “exemplary” development, progress and prosperity, calling it a “manifestation of the vision of the Chinese leadership and dynamism of the Chinese people”.
President Zardari also paid tribute to his counterpart for China’s “profound contributions” to global development under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), calling the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) a “shining model” of the BRI’s “visionary concept of win-win cooperation”.
The statement added that both sides also discussed the high-quality development of CPEC’s second phase and its vital role in promoting regional connectivity, shared benefits and common prosperity, including through partnerships with other countries.
The duo underlined the significance of people-to-people linkages and cultural exchanges for strengthening the “shared future in the new era” of the Pakistan-China community.
President Zardari extended his invitation to Xi to visit Pakistan, emphasising that the people and government held him in high esteem as a “visionary leader and as a special friend of Pakistan”, the statement said.
The meeting was followed by the signing of memorandums of understanding to enhance cooperation in the fields of science and technology, media, clean energy and socioeconomic development, among others.
Zardari was earlier warmly welcomed by Xi and presented with a guard of honour upon his arrival. After the signing ceremony, President Xi hosted a state banquet in honour of the Pakistani delegation.
Earlier in the day, President Zardari underscored the time-tested and all-weather friendship between the two countries which continued to grow in depth and scope over the decades in a meeting with Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress and China’s third highest-ranking official behind President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.
The two officials underlined “strategic mutual trust” as the cornerstone of their bilateral relationship and emphasised the importance of continued high-level exchanges to further deepen ongoing practical cooperation between the two countries.
The two sides also discussed the high-quality development of CPEC’s second phase with a particular emphasis on promoting cooperation in science and technology, renewable energy, infrastructure and agriculture sectors.
They described CPEC as a “shining example of people-centric development with its focus on win-win cooperation, shared benefits and common prosperity”.
The president and the Chinese officials also discussed opportunities to strengthen institutional linkages, including through parliamentary exchanges and participation in the CPEC Political Parties Joint Consultative Mechanism, to further solidify bilateral cooperation.
Separately, Pakistan and China also agreed to further improve mutual intelligence sharing in a meeting between their interior ministers. The interaction between Naqvi and his Chinese counterpart Qi Yanjun lasted two hours and came in the backdrop of attacks on Chinese personnel working in Pakistan that have angered China, which has pushed the federal government to begin formal negotiations for a joint security management system. Aside from vowing to enhance intelligence sharing between the two nations, the interior ministers also discussed cooperation to further secure the border between the two countries, in addition to the use of modern technology for police and paramilitary forces.
The two officials also led a detailed discussion on acquiring modern equipment and technology for the police from China.
Cooperation with the National Police Academy was also discussed by the two officials who further decided to increase cooperation between the Beijing Police and Islamabad Police.
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