Wang Qishan, the vice president of the People’s Republic of China, has reaffirmed China’s support to Pakistan’s independence, sovereignty and counter-terrorism efforts.
“China will continue to contribute to Pakistan’s economic development,” he said during a meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday.
Wang stressed that Pakistan-China relations were “all weather” and “a model in inter-state relations”.
Asif assured Wang that CPEC would 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, he 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.
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 in June 2018.
Earlier in the day, Asif held a 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.
Fourteen resolutions agreed upon
After chairing a meeting of SCO’s council of foreign ministers, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced that 14 resolutions were agreed upon. “Most of the resolutions are drafts and will be signed during the Qingdao Summit,” he said.
Published in Daily Times, April 25th 2018.
