China, Pakistan vow to consolidate iron-clad friendship
China and Pakistan on Friday pledged to consolidate their iron-clad friendship.
Noting that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang told Pakistani President Arif Alvi during a meeting in Islamabad that consolidating and advancing China and Pakistan's iron-clad friendship has always been a priority for the two governments.
Qin said that China will always stand by Pakistan, support it in realizing unity and stability, development and prosperity, and in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He said China stands ready to work with Pakistan to implement the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative proposed by China, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, withstand external risks and challenges, and push forward the building of a China-Pakistan community with a shared future.
China is also willing to work with Pakistan to bolster the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and advance the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and to help Pakistan recover its economy and improve its people's livelihood, he noted.
He urged the two sides to strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and said China welcomed more Pakistani students to study in China.
He expressed the willingness to work with Pakistan to strengthen communication and coordination on the Afghanistan issue, promoting Afghanistan's peace and reconstruction process and facilitating regional stability and development.
For his part, Alvi said that the friendship between Pakistan and China is rooted in the deep traditional friendship between the two peoples. He stressed that the more profound changes the world is undergoing, the more important it is to build a close and solid Pakistan-China friendship.
He extended gratitude to China for helping Pakistan in its COVID-19 pandemic fight, post-disaster reconstruction and evacuation of Pakistani citizens stranded in Sudan and vowed to ensure the security of Chinese personnel and institutions in Pakistan.
Pakistan unswervingly upholds the one-China policy and firmly stands by the Chinese side on issues concerning China's core interests, he noted, adding the Pakistani side is ready to work with China to advance the construction of CPEC, deepen cooperation in agriculture, connectivity and information technology, and help Afghanistan realize peace and reconstruction.
(Cover: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang (L) meets Pakistani President Arif Alvi in Islamabad, Pakistan, May 5, 2023. /Chinese Foreign Ministry)
