Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi when questioned about how Washington is exerting pressure on Islamabad, on Friday stated that the US is pressurizing Pakistan to cut ties with China through various means. 

During a talk on a private TV channel, the FM said that Pakistan has its own interests and would like to strengthen ties with the US as well. He further said that “This is not a zero-sum game and if we are a friend of China, it doesn't mean we are not friends with the US,” adding that China has never asked them to cut ties with any country specifically the US.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, when asked about  how China is actually pressuring Islamabad, he said: “No one says this directly there are ways to communicate such things through double meaning phrases," he exclaimed.

Moreover, the FM stated that “A China containment policy is underway at the global level. China is a rising power right now and possibly can overtake the US in the next few years. So there are fears in the West.''