Daily Times

China firmly supports Pakistan in maintaining security and stability, as well as achieving development and revitalization, and stands ready to provide assistance to the best of its ability to help Pakistan overcome temporary difficulties.

Wang Yi, Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made these remarks during a meeting with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on the sidelines of the 59th Munich Security Conference, which opened on Friday, Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said China and Pakistan were “all-weather strategic cooperative partners” and “China-Pakistan friendship is rock solid.”

“China is ready to work with Pakistan to implement the strategic consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and build an even closer community of shared future in the new era”, he said.

Bilawal expressed satisfaction over the development of Pakistan-China relations. He stressed that China was Pakistan’s all-weather friend and “an important pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy is to strengthen relations with China and promote the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.”

Pakistan would resolutely fight terrorism and spare no effort to ensure the safety of Chinese enterprises and citizens in Pakistan, he said.

The two sides also exchanged views on strengthening mutual support under the current international situation.

Meanwhile, talking to his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Bilawal once again emphasised early resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

Bilawal took to Twitter to share details of the meeting and said the two leaders “had an in-depth exchange of views on a range of issues and resolved to further enhance bilateral cooperation for benefit of their peoples”.

The foreign minister also stated that he had an “enriching discussion with senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on global, regional and bilateral matters”.

“All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership remains the vital pillar of regulating peace & stability and for our shared future towards development and prosperity,” he added.

Earlier, at a panel discussion, Bilawal urged the international community to help in capacity building of the Afghan interim authorities to take on threats of terrorism.

He said that the international community wanted the Afghan interim government to live up to its obligations and commitments in areas like women education, all-inclusive government and tackling of potential threats from terrorism, emanating from terrorist groups of Daesh, TTP and Al Qaeda.

The foreign minister said that if this issue was not taken seriously, the terrorist groups could conduct terrorist activities from Afghanistan as had been witnessed recently from the incidents in Pakistan. The interim government neither had a standing army, a counter-terrorism force and even a border force, nor have the capacity, he opined.

Bilawal said the global community should convince the Afghan interim government to take on the threat of terrorism and demonstrate its will. Terrorism not only posed threat to immediate neighbours of Afghanistan but also to the West, he cautioned.

Pakistan had helped Afghanistan in the past and would continue to do so as it had hosted the largest number of Afghan refugees on its soil, he said, adding that the international community could not wash their hands and turn away from Afghanistan. He stressed that the world should continue its humanitarian support, unfreeze Afghan’s assets and engage with the Taliban, society and the women.

The foreign minister reiterated that a peaceful Afghanistan was vital for the stability of the region and the international community must play its role in this regard. The Afghan interim government had assured to eradicate terrorism from its soil, he added.

He also elaborated that the continuation of economic activities and progress in the war-weary Afghanistan was must for peace and stability and would help the interim Afghan authorities to run the affairs of the country.