ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and China yesterday vowed to enhance efforts for regional peace and stability.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi reaffirmed the commitment of their countries to collaborate for peace and stability in the region. During a telephonic conversation, Qureshi said that India’s Hindutva policies were a threat to regional peace. Foreign Minister Qureshi reiterated that Pakistan was committed to ‘One-China’ policy and firmly supported China on issues of its core interest including Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong and South China Sea.
The Foreign Minister underscored that the deep-rooted relationship between China and Pakistan was aimed at promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region. The Foreign Minister underlined that both Pakistan and China were making strenuous efforts to contain and combat the COVID-19 and, in that regard, had established various mechanisms which were playing a useful role in controlling the pandemic, resuming economic growth and restoring supply chains across the region. Foreign Minister Qureshi emphasized that China had made remarkable achievement in developing COVID-19 vaccines, adding, that the Phase-III clinical trials of China’s vaccine were progressing well in Pakistan. He maintained that the government had approved Sinopharm vaccine for emergency use in Pakistan and expressed hope for its early availability from China. Foreign Minister Wang Yi assured that China would work to provide over one million doses of the vaccine to Pakistan for emergency use.
Foreign Minister Qureshi briefed State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi about India’s aggressive posture in the region and how New Delhi’s bellicose and irresponsible policies were imperiling regional peace and stability. The Foreign Minister also emphasized that Pakistan and China must continue to closely coordinate efforts to advance the shared objectives of peace, stability and economic development in Afghanistan.
Foreign Minister Qureshi underscored that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a transformational project, and the Belt and Road Initiative and CPEC would become the hub of trade and economic activity, sustainable development and greater people-to-people exchanges.
He underlined that Pakistan and China were taking relevant measures for timely completion of CPEC projects. He underscored that the 10th JCC meeting, to be held shortly, would play an instrumental role in this regard.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed satisfaction over Pakistan and China’s cooperation on regional and international issues and reaffirmed the vitality of the time-tested All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership which remained unaffected by the vicissitudes of the regional and international developments and continued to move from strength to strength. He expressed hope that the next year would witness further deepening of Pakistan-China time-tested relationship.
Both Foreign Ministers agreed to maintain strategic communication and consultation, at all levels, to promote mutual goals of peace and stability in the region and beyond, and expressed commitment to further strengthening all-round cooperation and taking the bilateral relationship to a higher level for shared benefit of the two countries.
With a view to maintaining momentum of high-level exchanges, Foreign Minister Wang Yi extended an invitation to Foreign Minister Qureshi to visit China at his earliest convenience. Foreign Minister Qureshi accepted the gracious invitation.
Meanwhile, the Second Meeting of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’s Joint Working Group on International Cooperation and Coordination was held in Urumqi, China.
The meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood and Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Luo Zhaouhi. The meeting reviewed the progress of the JWG since its inaugural meeting held on April 9 2019 in Beijing, said a foreign ministry statement issued here.
The Foreign Secretary underscored that the CPEC was a transformational project and has opened up significant and far-reaching economic opportunities for Pakistan.
“There is complete national consensus on CPEC’s indispensability for our national development efforts. In the first phase of CPEC, we have made major advancement in the domain of energy and infrastructure,” he said.
The Foreign Secretary added that the CPEC had entered its second phase with vigorous focus on industrialization, agriculture and socio-economic development.
Pakistan hoped that the Special Economic Zones being developed under CPEC will rejuvenate Pakistan’s process of industrialisation and further spur economic development. He reaffirmed the government’s resolve to complete CPEC projects in a timely manner.
The Foreign Secretary hoped that the 10th Joint Cooperation Committee, to be held in the near future, will help create more economic opportunities and contribute to further expansion of CPEC projects.
He reiterated that Pakistan would welcome relocation of industry from China and in that regard was instituting a regime to encourage inflow of Chinese investments to Pakistan.
Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood highlighted efforts made by the Pakistan government, think-tanks, academia, and the media to promote a factual, objective, and coherent view of the CPEC projects carefully and transparently designed through mutual consultations.
He particularly underlined that there was a need for the international community to comprehensively and objectively analyze the impact of CPEC on Pakistan and the regional economy.
Emphasizing that CPEC was a fiscally responsible project, he reiterated that both sides will welcome third party participation in CPEC projects through mutual consultations.
It was reaffirmed in the meeting that China and Pakistan will continue to work closely to promote CPEC’s positive contributions and would encourage think-tanks, media and opinion-makers to understand and examine it as a case-study for international co-operation, economic development, and people-to-people exchanges.
The Foreign Secretary also welcomed efforts of academia community and policy experts to enhance sharing of best practices and experience in CPEC and BRI development through greater international communication and cooperation.
The next round of JWG will be held in 2021 on mutually agreed dates.