Beijing will continue to support Pakistan: Chinese vice president

BEIJING: Vice President of the People’s Republic of China Wang Qishan has reaffirmed China’s support to Pakistan’s independence, sovereignty and counter-terrorism efforts.

“China will continue to contribute to Pakistan’s economic development,” the Chinese vice president said during a meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif in Beijing on Tuesday.

Wang stressed that Pakistan-China relations are “all weather” and “a model in inter-state relations”.

The Pakistani foreign minister assured Wang that CPEC will not only contribute to the economic development of Pakistan but also have a salutary effect on the development of the region.

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road initiative, is making good progress and several projects have either been completed or are under implementation, Asif said.

Congratulating the Chinese vice president on his recent re-election to the office, the Pakistani foreign minister expressed confidence that Wang will continue to play a vital role in further strengthening the strong and time-tested bilateral relations between the two countries.

SCO playing important role in complex, evolving geo-political environment: Pakistan

Meeting of SCO’s council of foreign ministers is currently underway in Beijing

The vice president appreciated Pakistan’s active participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and said he looked forward to President Mamnoon Hussain’s attendance at the SCO Qingdao Summit to be held in June 2018.

During the meeting, the foreign minister and vice president discussed various bilateral, regional and global issues and agreed to continue strategic communications between Pakistan and China on all issues.

Earlier today, Asif held a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Kamilov Abdul Aziz Khafizovich on the sidelines of the Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting of the SCO in Beijing.

Asif appreciated Uzbekistan’s active support for Pakistan’s membership of SCO which was finalised during the SCO Astana Summit 2017.

The two foreign ministers also discussed various issues of mutual interest and agreed to further strengthen bilateral, political, economic and people-to-people relations. 

‘Fourteen resolutions signed’

After chairing a meeting of SCO’s council of foreign ministers, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced that 14 resolutions were signed.

“Most of the resolutions are drafts and will be signed during the Qingdao Summit," he said. The resolutions include a long-term treaty of friendship among neighbouring countries, an outline of plans for the next five years and cooperation from many other perspectives.

He further said all parties agreed to promote practical cooperation, mutual benefits and common development.

Before the summit of Qingdao in June, there will be meetings of political parties, tourism ministers, supreme court judges and journalists of respective countries.