Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan met with the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, at the Great Hall of People in Beijing.
This was the first meeting of the two leaders since the premier’s visit to China in October 2019, and they reviewed the entire gamut of the Pakistan-China bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest in a cordial atmosphere.
Both the premiers agreed to strengthen institutional links at all levels, cementing mutual strategic, diplomatic and economic ties between the two countries.
PM Khan congratulated the leadership and people of China for the successful hosting of the 24th Olympic Winter Games in Beijing and extended his best wishes for the Chinese lunar new year. He reiterated that China is Pakistan’s steadfast partner, staunch supporter, and Iron Brother.
The All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership between Pakistan and China has withstood the test of time and the two nations firmly stood side by side in fulfilling their visions and shared aspirations of peace, stability, development, and prosperity.
Read also : New taxes worth Rs430bn mooted in next budget
PM Khan briefed President Xi about a people-centered geo-economics vision and his government’s policies for Pakistan’s sustained growth, industrial development, agricultural modernization, and regional connectivity. He lauded China’s continued support for and assistance for Pakistan’s socio-economic development which had greatly benefitted from the high-quality development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The PM also welcomed increased Chinese investments in the CPEC’s Phase-II, which is centered on industrialization and improving people’s livelihoods.
He shared his views with President Xi about the growing polarization in the world that is threatening to unravel global developmental gains while posing serious risks to developing countries. Insurmountable challenges like climate change, health pandemics, and growing inequalities were also highlighted in the discussion, and PM Khan stated that they can only be tackled with the cooperation of all the nations in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. In this regard, he lauded President Xi’s visionary Belt and Road and Global Development Initiatives that had called for collective action for sustainable development and win-win outcomes.
Furthermore, the premier highlighted the rampant atrocities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) and the persecution of minorities in India in advancing the Hindutva mindset of the RSS-BJP is a threat to regional peace and stability. He added that the rapid militarization of India is undermining regional stability.
The premier acknowledged that Pakistan and China’s partnership is an anchor for peace and stability in the region, and he thanked China for its unwavering support of Pakistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence, and national development. He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s full support for all of China’s issues core interests.
Both leaders acknowledged that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan would promote economic development and connectivity in the region and called on the international community to promptly assist the Afghan people in averting a humanitarian catastrophe. Both leaders appreciated the signing of a number of agreements covering industrial cooperation, space cooperation, and vaccine cooperation.
The two leaders reaffirmed their resolve to build the Pakistan-China Community for a Shared Future in the New Era. PM Khan also renewed his invitation to President Xi to visit Pakistan at his early convenience.
After returning home, the PM tweeted he had had a “great meeting” with the Chinese president. “We agreed to further enhance our strategic and economic relations and to fast track the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),” he said.
