———— Joint statement issued presents triumphs of Pakistan, China FMs strategic moot
———— Says China backs Shehbaz govt to bring economic stability
———— Stresses need for more partnership and exchanges among both countries
———— Both sides agreed to play positive and constructive role in Afghanistan
———— Maintained robust growth of relations is key for regional peace, development & stability
By Anzal Amin
ISLAMABAD: China has thrown its weight behind the Shehbaz Sharif government, congratulating Pakistan on holding “successful general elections” and expressing “good wishes” for the new administration to promote economic development and prosperity.
The statement from Pakistan’s all-weather strategic partner came at the end of the Pak-China Strategic Dialogue held in Beijing this week. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi co-chaired the annual meeting to review bilateral ties and discuss a host of regional and international issues.
“China congratulated Pakistan on holding successful general elections and expressed good wishes to the new Pakistani government in leading the Pakistani people in their endeavour to maintain stability and security and promote economic development and prosperity,” read a joint statement issued by the Foreign Office on Thursday.
The statement is seen as significant against the backdrop of allegations levelled by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) that its mandate was stolen and the current government lacks legitimacy.
China never publicly comments on Pakistan’s domestic political issues but privately has always been keen to see political stability in the country.
During the dialogue, the two sides exchanged views on the entire range of bilateral relations and cooperation, including strategic, economic, political, defence and security, trade, investment and commerce, and cultural and people-to-people domains.
International and regional issues of shared interest were also discussed, and the two sides reached a consensus to collectively take measures to safeguard their common interests, promote the socio-economic development of the peoples of the two countries, and work together to promote peace, development, and prosperity in the region.
Both sides reiterated that Pakistan and China are all-weather strategic cooperative partners, sharing an unbreakable ironclad friendship and strategic mutual trust. The healthy and robust growth of Pakistan-China relations is of immense strategic significance for regional peace, development, and stability.
The two sides will implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, enhance exchanges at all levels, deepen experience-sharing in state governance, further enhance win-win cooperation in all areas, and accelerate the building of an even closer Pakistan-China community with a shared future in the new era.
Pakistan spoke highly of China’s major development achievements in the new era under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, appreciated China’s people-centred development philosophy, and believed that the Chinese path to modernisation provides a new option and practical solution for developing countries to achieve independent development.
The two sides reaffirmed their unyielding support for each other on issues concerning their respective core interests.
The Pakistani side reaffirmed its firm commitment to the One-China principle and reiterated that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. Pakistan firmly supported the Chinese government’s every effort to achieve national reunification and opposes any form of “Taiwan independence.”
The joint statement noted that Pakistan firmly supports China on issues concerning Xinjiang, Xizang, Hong Kong, and the South China Sea. The Chinese side reiterated its steadfast support for Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty, national independence, and territorial integrity, in pursuing a development path suited to Pakistan’s national conditions and achieving economic prosperity, in firmly combating terrorism, and in playing a bigger role in regional and international affairs.
The two sides strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the Chinese convoy of the Dasu Hydropower Project in Pakistan on March 26, 2024, and emphasised that no attempt to undermine China-Pakistan cooperation will ever succeed.
