ISLAMABAD: Chinese President Xi Jinping wished Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the occasion of his 73rd birthday, expressing his desire to promote cooperation with Pakistan in various fields and saying that strengthening ties between the two nations is of “utmost importance” to him. 

This was said by the Chinese president in a letter that he addressed to the Pakistani prime minister, Sharif’s office said in a statement. It described the Chinese president’s letter as an “unusual progress” in Pakistan’s diplomatic relations with its neighboring country. 

China is a major ally and investor in Pakistan that has pledged over $65 billion in investment in road, infrastructure and development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. CPEC is a part of the Belt and Road Initiative, a massive China-led infrastructure project that aims to stretch around the globe. 

Chinese investment and financial support since 2013 have been key for Pakistan’s struggling economy, including the rolling over of loans so that Islamabad is able to meet external financing needs at a time its foreign reserves are low.

“Strengthening of China-Pakistan ties are of the utmost importance to me,” Jinping wrote, according to the PMO. “I want to work with you to promote China-Pakistan strategic cooperation and construction of CPEC.”

He described Pakistan and China as strategic partners of good and challenging times, adding that history was a witness that the two nations have always trusted and supported each other. 

“Such a strong relationship has been established between the two countries that it has never been affected by the changing international scenario,” he wrote.

The Chinese president also expressed his desire to promote cooperation with Pakistan in various fields and enhance people-to-people contacts, the PMO said. 

Though time-tested allies, recent security challenges have put a slight strain on Pakistan’s ties with China. Separatist and religiously motivated militants have attacked Chinese projects in Pakistan over recent years, killing Chinese personnel. In the most high-profile recent attack, five Chinese workers were killed in a suicide bombing in March, which was the third major attack on Chinese interests in Pakistan in a week.

China has called on Islamabad to ensure security for its citizens in Pakistan. The South Asian nation has in turn sought to ease Chinese fears, vowing to provide fool-proof security to its citizens living and working in the country.