ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China said they had “reached consensus” to safeguard their common regional interests, as Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, met in China’s Hainan province on Friday.
Qureshi is in China as he is holding with Wang the second round of the China-Pakistan foreign ministers’ strategic dialogue.
The two sides “reached consensus to collectively take measures to safeguard their common interests and promote peace, prosperity, and development in the region,” and agreed on “continuing their firm support on issues concerning each other’s core national interests,” the Pakistani Foreign Office said in a statement.
The Chinese side, according to the statement, said the two countries are “iron brothers” and Pakistan remains China’s “staunchest partner in the region” whose territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence is fully supported by Beijing.
“The Pakistani side appreciated China for standing together with Pakistan in safeguarding its national security and sovereignty, and reaffirmed its firm support to China on affairs concerning China’s core interests and issues of major concern, such as those related to Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong,” the statement read.
The assurances come amid an ongoing military standoff on the Indian-Chinese border in Ladakh, which is a part of the larger region of Kashmir, to which other parts Pakistan also has claims against India.
Earlier on Friday, Qureshi thanked China for bringing Pakistan’s Kashmir dispute with India before the United Nations Security Council. The Himalayan region has long been a flashpoint in ties between India and Pakistan, who both claim it in full but rule it in part.
“We are grateful to China for its cooperation in bringing the Kashmir issue to the attention of the Security Council three times in 55 years,” Qureshi said as quoted by the Foreign Office. “The situation in Kashmir is important for both the countries.”
During the foreign ministers’ meeting, both sides encouraged “relevant parties in Afghanistan” to commence intra-Afghan negotiations at the earliest, as “China appreciated Pakistan’s positive contribution to the Afghan peace process.”
In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the ministers agreed to further strengthen cooperation in developing a vaccine against COVID-19 and promote the establishment of China-Pakistan Community of Common Health.
They said that timely and early completion of projects under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is one their “top priorities” and that CPEC will continue to play “an important role in supporting Pakistan to overcome the impact of COVID-19 and achieve greater development.”
CPEC, which has seen Beijing pledge over $60 billion for infrastructure projects in Pakistan, is central to China’s wider Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to develop land and sea trade routes in Asia and beyond.
