-Xi says China will support Pakistan in stabilizing financial situation
-Assures support to ML-1 project, announces additional RMB500 mln flood relief aid
-Adds Beijing ready to provide new opportunities
-Shehbaz meets Chinese President, Premier in Beijing
-Reiterates Pakistan’s firm stance on one-China policy and Xinjiang, Taiwan, Hong Kong
-Jointly advancing global governance agreed
-Both sides sign, conclude number of agreements, MoUs
BEIJING: China and Pakistan on Wednesday vowed to make joint efforts in elevating the level of all-round strategic cooperation and inject new impetus into their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said that Pakistan has always been a high priority in China’s neighborhood diplomacy when meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who was among the first foreign leaders invited to Beijing after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). This is also the prime minister’s first visit to China since assuming office in April.
Sharif said that his visit is a “testament to the profound, iron-clad friendship” between Pakistan and China, adding that deepening Pakistan’s all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China is a cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy and the national consensus of Pakistan.
China will continue its fundamental policy of opening-up and provide new opportunities to Pakistan and the rest of the world through continuous development, Xi told Sharif.
Xi assured China’s continued support for Pakistan’s sustainable economic and strategic projects including the Main Line-1 (ML-1) rail track and announced an additional assistance package of RMB 500 million for the country’s flood relief efforts.
In a meeting held here at the People’s Great Hall, the two leaders reaffirming their mutual commitment to CPEC agreed that as a project of strategic importance, both sides would make joint efforts to “launch the ML-1 as an early harvest project under the CPEC framework”.
The two sides should make full use of the Joint Cooperation Committee of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), advance CPEC with greater efficiency, and make CPEC an exemplar of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, he said.
Noting that CPEC has had a profound impact on Pakistan’s economic and social development, Sharif said Pakistan is ready to work with China to continue promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
As a flagship program of the Belt and Road Initiative, CPEC has become a landmark of China-Pakistan cooperation. It has effectively boosted economic development, improved people’s livelihood, and generated positive socioeconomic effects in Pakistan. The recent 11th meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee of CPEC was a success. Multiple common understandings were reached about CPEC’s future development.
The two sides also agreed to expand cooperation in digital economy, e-commerce, photovoltaic and other new-energy technologies, as well as advance cooperation concerning agriculture, science, technology and people’s livelihood.
China has been Pakistan’s largest trade and investment partner, the largest exporter and the second largest importer for six consecutive fiscal years since 2015.
Last year, trade between China and Pakistan reached $27.82 billion, a year-on-year increase of 59.1 percent. Chinese exports to Pakistan totaled $24.23 billion, a year-on-year increase of 57.8 percent, while imports from Pakistan were $3.59 billion, a year-on-year increase of 68.9 percent, showed data from the General Administration of Customs.
China will work with Pakistan to advance the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and make the global economic governance system more fair, equitable and inclusive that benefits all, Xi said.
The GDI and the GSI, proposed by Xi Jinping in 2021 and 2022 respectively, seek to overcome the tunnel vision that contributes to the rise of de-globalization, populism and xenophobia, which risk impeding global governance of development and security.
The GDI highlights re-energizing and speeding up the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and building a global community of development, while the GSI gives clear answers to questions such as what security concept the world needs and how countries can achieve common security, which opens an important new way for global security governance.
Sharif expressed full support for the initiatives, adding that his country will strengthen communication with China in international and regional affairs to contribute positively to world peace and development.
The Pakistani prime minister also reiterated his country’s firm commitment to the one-China policy and its firm support for China’s position on issues concerning China’s core interests including Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
The Pakistan-China friendship is unbreakable, and Pakistan will always stand firmly with China, he added.
The two countries issued a joint statement, highlighting mutual support on issues concerning each other’s core interests, the key role of various bilateral cooperation mechanisms for deepening strategic communication, and cooperation in the areas of agriculture, mining, IT and socio-economic development under CPEC.
The two sides also signed and concluded a number of agreements, covering bilateral cooperation in areas of export of agricultural products, financial cooperation, e-commerce, digital economy, protection of cultural property and infrastructure, among others. –The Daily Mail-CGTN news exchange item
