DM Monitoring
BEIJING: China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and the bilateral relations between the two countries have become even stronger in economic and trade development, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Hua Chunying said on Friday.
“China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners. The bilateral relations have become even stronger in economic and trade development,” she said in response to a question. In particular, CPEC, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, as an important pilot project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation and a flagship for bilateral cooperation, has registered new progress in its building and generated more and more social benefits, she added.
Hua Chunying said that the Chinese side stood ready to work together with Pakistan to advance cooperation in Belt and Road initiative, facilitate the high-quality building of CPEC, enhance policy communication, connectivity, trade, investment, and people-to-people exchanges for both sides in all sectors, so as to jointly achieve greater development and bring more benefits to the two peoples.According to statistics, the exports from Pakistan to China have increased by 30 percent month on month in November 2020, improving trade balance between the two countries.
Under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Phase-II signed between the two countries, China has expanding more market access to Pakistani products. China has also organized a number of trade promotion activities for Pakistani products. Recently, Pakistan was invited to participate as a special cooperation partner country in China-ASEAN Expo held in Nanning, Guangxi Autonomous Region of China wherein Pakistan Pavilion was set up to promote Pakistani goods.
Earlier, Pakistan also attended the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai last month. A number of Pakistani businessmen and traders showcased precious stones, handicrafts and furniture. China also topped the list of countries from where Pakistan imported different products during the first four months of the current financial year.
According to the State Bank of Pakistan, the total imports from China during July-October (2020-21) were recorded at US$ 3570.360 million against the US$ 3145.098 million during July-October (2019-20), showing an increase of 13.52 percent during this period.
Earlier, A Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson on Thursday reiterated that the India side was totally responsible for the current standoff between the troops of two countries on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
“The merits of the situation at the border area are very clear and the responsibility totally lies with the Indian side,” Hua Chunying said in response to remarks of Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar about China-India border situation, during her regular briefing held here.
She dismissed Indian accusation that China had violated multiple agreements signed between the two sides and made it clear that the Chinese side had been strictly observing the agreements signed between the two sides and committed to resolving the border issue through dialogue.
“We are committed to safeguarding regional peace and tranquility at border areas,” she added. Hua Chunying said that in the meantime, the Chinese side was determined in safeguarding its territorial sovereignty, adding,
“We hope India can work with us and contribute to solidarity, cooperation and common development.” To yet another question, she said, “About the border issue like I said the situation happened at the border area the merits of it are very clear.”
The spokesperson said that China had been observing strictly the agreements between the two sides and committed to resolving the border issue through dialogue and safeguarding peace and tranquility at the border area.
“But like all sovereign states we are determined in safeguarding our territorial integrity. So on the Indian side, I think this is a serious question on what it should reflect upon. There are challenges in bilateral relations but China’s position and policy on India hasn’t changed,” she added.
Hua Chunying observed that China and India were neighbors and the world’s two biggest emerging markets and keeping good relations served the fundamental interests of both countries and its people but it required common efforts from both sides.
“As two major countries and emerging markets keeping good relations serves the fundamental interests of both and we will stay committed to safeguarding the peace and tranquility in the border area,” she said.
She said that on the historical issues, China believed that both countries should find fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solutions based on equal footed consultation and put it on the proper position in our bilateral relations.
“We hope we can reach consensus properly manage differences, enhance practical cooperation and bring our bilateral relations back on the right,” she added.
The Chinese and Indian soldiers had engaged in the most serious border clashes since they fought a war in 1962, leaving as many as 20 Indian soldiers dead during a fight in June. China held India responsible for the incidents, calling the actions by Indian border troops “infringing and provocative.”
In a bid to resolve the current border situation, China and India had reached a five-point consensus. Both sides had agreed to take guidance from the series of consensus of the leaders on developing India-China relations. The militaries of the two countries also held several round of commander level talks and exchanged in-depth views on easing the current situation on the border areas.
The disputed border covers nearly 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles) of frontier that the two countries call the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and that stretches from Ladakh in the north to the Indian state of Sikkim in the northeast. The two countries have been trying to settle their border dispute since the early 1990s without success.
