ISLAMABAD: China’s visiting foreign minister Qin Gang praised Pakistan for waging an “unrelenting” battle against militancy in the region on Saturday while promising continued cooperation between the two countries under a multibillion-dollar economic connectivity program only a day after India accused Pakistan of “terrorism” at an international conference.
The Chinese foreign minister flew to Islamabad after attending a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting in the Indian coastal state of Goa which was also attended by his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari despite mounting tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad.
The Pakistani authorities described the first high-level visit to India as a reflection that their country took its SCO membership responsibilities seriously. Bhutto-Zardari’s presence on the Indian soil raised hopes for a rapprochement, but the two sides continued to express their entrenched diplomatic positions by blaming each other for the absence of progress toward peace.
Indian external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also criticized the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, suggesting that the regional connectivity initiative taken by the administrations in Beijing and Islamabad used portions of Pakistan’s territory which were claimed by his country.
“China commends Pakistan for its sacrifices and unrelenting struggle against terrorism and firmly believes in the final victory of Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations,” the Chinese foreign minister said during a joint press conference with his Pakistani counterpart in Islamabad.
The media talk took place after the two officials participated in the Fourth Pakistan China Strategic Dialogue.
The visiting dignitary applauded “meticulous arrangements” made by the Pakistani authorities to protect Chinese nationals working on various infrastructure development projects under CPEC.
He said that militants targeting the Chinese citizens in Pakistan would soon be brought to justice.
“The two sides are satisfied with CPEC’s progress,” he continued, adding it was agreed to accelerate the pace all major projects, including ML1 trainline and Gwadar deep-sea port.
The Chinese FM said the two countries were also working to strengthen industrial cooperation to achieve “sustainable development” in Pakistan.
He is also visiting Pakistan to attend a tripartite conference over the situation in Afghanistan along with an official delegation from Kabul.
The Pakistani foreign minister emphasized in the news conference that Afghanistan’s stability was vital for the development and prosperity for the region, adding his country would work with all stakeholders to achieve that goal.
“In our dialogue today, we also noted that peace and stability in Afghanistan remain vital for socio-economic development, connectivity, and prosperity in the region,” he said while referring to his deliberations with the Chinese officials.
“We will continue to work together with all stakeholders for peaceful, stable, prosperous, and united Afghanistan,” he added.
The Chinese and Pakistani officials have both said in the past that they would welcome Taliban-led Afghanistan to become part of CPEC.
Afghanistan sits as a key geographical trade and transit route between South and Central Asia and has billions of dollars of untapped mineral resources.
The Taliban seized power in August 2021 as US-led forces withdrew after 20 years of war.
