ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Sunday, said an official statement, to hold consultations on strengthening defense and economic cooperation between the two countries amid significant regional and international challenges.
The foreign minister recently concluded his official trip to the United States where he was invited to attend a global food security conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
He also held a bilateral meeting with US state secretary Antony Blinken and told the media that the two countries must rescue their relationship from any bitterness of the past and inaugurate another phase of constructive engagement.
Bhutto-Zardari’s visit to China came at a time when three Chinese teachers, who taught Mandarin at a language center in Karachi, were killed along with their Pakistani driver by a suicide bomber in Karachi, forcing their other colleagues to leave the country over security concerns.
“The two sides agreed that amidst profound regional and international changes, the importance of China-Pakistan strategic relations has assumed even greater significance,” said a joint statement released by the two countries on Sunday.
It noted both officials expressed satisfaction at the growing momentum of bilateral defense cooperation and exchanges while pointing out that their collaboration in the area was “a factor of peace and stability in the region.”
The foreign minister’s visit to China coincided with the 71st anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries during which the two sides also expressed satisfaction with the steady growth of economic cooperation between them.
“Noting with satisfaction the record bilateral trade achieved last year, the two sides agreed to work together to make optimum use of phase-II of CPFTA [China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement] and work together to diversify their trade ties with deepening cooperation in export-oriented sectors in Pakistan and integrating value chains of the two countries,” the statement informed. “Both sides also agreed on stronger collaboration in the services sector and skill development in the areas of tourism, education, financial and information technology sectors.”
They also reviewed the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) while agreeing it had effectively improved Pakistan’s infrastructure and boosted its socioeconomic development.
The foreign minister also thanked the Chinese state councilor and foreign minister for the safe and secure return of Pakistani students in a phased manner to China.
The two sides also decided to resume direct flight between the two countries carried out by Pakistan airlines at the earliest and subsequently increase directs flights based on the evolving pandemic situation.
“China is my second home,” Bhutto-Zardari said in response to a question asked during his visit, “and we have a three-generation relationship with the people of China and the government of China.”
He added he wanted to nurture that relationship even further.
