Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Chinese Ambassador in Islamabad Yao Jing Wednesday said that China considers Pakistan as the most reliable friend and strategic partner, adding that top leaders of both countries will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations at their meeting on April 10 on the sidelines of annual meeting of Boao Forum For Asia in Hainan province.

“Meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will be the most important interaction in the context of the growing Pakistan-China deep-rooted brotherly relations. As an iron-brother, China attaches great importance to its strategic partnership with Pakistan that has always withstood the test of time,” the ambassador told a select group of journalists at a briefing held at the Chinese Embassy.

He said a new government has assumed its responsibilities in China after the re-election of President Xi Jinping while Pakistan is also about to go for elections after the completion of five-year rule of the incumbent government. He said China-Pakistan cooperation is key to President Xi’s policy of shared destiny and that the collaboration will continue irrespective of change of guard in Islamabad. He said Pakistan was a key player in President Xi Jinping’s vision of building a prosperous community in Asia.

“The theme of Boao Forum this year is open and innovative Asia reflecting China’s quest for developing a prosperous community in the neighborhood and the region,” the ambassador said. He hoped that the forthcoming bilateral meeting will give further boost to all-round socio-economic partnership between the two countries which is also a source of peace and prosperity in the whole region.

During the meeting between President Xi and PM Abbasi, both the leaders would touch upon several topics including the next stage of Pakistan’s ongoing cooperation with a specific focus on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the ambassador said. China would pursue its agenda of globalisation as it seeks more international cooperation in economic, cultural and other fields with a specific focus on international regimes of WTO, G-20 and others, he added.

The ambassador said that around seven top leaders of friendly countries will attend the forum apart from over 2,000 delegates from various companies across the globe. He appreciated PM Abbasi’s visit to China as a remarkable gesture that will contribute a lot in consolidating collaborative partnership in all sectors including military-to-military cooperation. “Pakistan is an important country of the region and a founding member of Boao Forum. We expect that PM’s visit will be highly productive and help further cement relations with China and other regional countries attending the meeting,” the ambassador added.

The leaders who are going attend Boao Forum include Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Mongolian Prime Minister Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, Prime Minister Netherlands Mark Rutte, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde.

Published in Daily Times, April 5^th 2018.