Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar said on Tuesday that Pakistan sought to further expand its bilateral relations with the United States based on mutual respect, trust and equality.
Khar’s resolve came during a meeting with the US Chargé d’Affaires in Pakistan Angela Aggeler who called on her in Islamabad. The minister added that Pakistan valued its ties with the US.
A day earlier, Khar met with the charge d’ affaires of China and said Islamabad was determined to further strengthen the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with Beijing. The minister of state appreciated the sincere support of China for the progress and development of Pakistan. She said Pakistan was desirous of enhancing the speed of work on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Khar welcomed the Chinese investment in the special economic zones under the CPEC. The newly-formed coalition government led by PML-N has decided to abolish the CPEC Authority amid disclosure that Chinese power producers have shut down 1,980 megawatts of production capacity due to non-clearance of their Rs300 billion dues.
