Pak-China cooperation to benefit 'all Pakistanis', says top Chinese diplomat

Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong, during a meeting with the Press Corps from Balochistan in Beijing on Tuesday, said that Pakistan and China should engage in mutually beneficial cooperation which will benefit all Pakistani people.

Calling Pakistan and China “ironclad friends”, the top Chinese diplomat — who served as China's ambassador to Pakistan for three years from September 2020 to September 2023 — recalled that the two countries had always supported each other and stood together in times of difficulty.

”China attaches great importance to the high-quality development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and is willing to deepen industrial cooperation with Pakistan and accelerate the implementation of livelihood projects,” Nong Rong said.

Expressing his views on the fast-paced development of Balochistan's Gwadar port, the former ambassador to Pakistan accentuated that the port's development has benefitted the locals and that "media are welcome to report more on these developments".

The Chinese diplomat also stressed upon the need to jointly create a secure and predictable business environment to achieve a benign cycle of development and security.

Meanwhile, the Press Corps said that friendship with China was a consensus among various sectors in Pakistan.

Gwadar Port, roads, hospitals, schools, and others had greatly promoted regional connectivity and generated employment opportunities and they looked forward to China’s continued strong support for the development of Balochistan, the Pakistani delegation said.

Furthermore, the Pakistani representatives also expressed their willingness to bridge the "information gap" between the people of Balochistan province and the Chinese people and contribute to the development of Pak-China relations.

In July earlier this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping in his congratulatory message to the decade of CPEC celebration event held in Islamabad, stressed that both countries will continue to improve overall planning and expand and deepen cooperation.

“No matter how the international landscape may change, China will always stand firmly with Pakistan,” the Chinese president said.

Pointing out that CPEC is an important pioneering project of the Belt and Road cooperation, Xi said that China will work with Pakistan to further build CPEC into an exemplary project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

The Chinese premier accentuated that the two allies will continue to work hand in hand and forge ahead in solidarity to carry forward the ironclad friendship, coordinate development and security, pursue the cooperation of higher standards, broader scope and greater depth, and take the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership to new heights, so as to make an even greater contribution to peace and prosperity in the two countries and the broader region.

Both countries will work to aim for high-standard, sustainable and livelihood-enhancing outcomes, President Xi added.