ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China on Monday agreed to expand the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to new areas of cooperation in line with the vision of the Pakistani leadership and build upon the consensus reached between the leadership of two countries during the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China last month, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. During the first round of political consultations between Pakistan and China, led by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou, both sides resolved to complete the ongoing projects. Pakistan reiterated that CPEC was a national priority for the government and it remained committed to the successful implementation of the mega project, the statement added. During the meeting, both sides also held comprehensive discussions on the entire gamut of the bilateral relations. They reaffirmed the “all weather strategic cooperative partnership” between the two countries and expressed satisfaction at the strong bilateral relations in political, economic, security, cultural and other spheres. Both sides exchanged views on international political situation with a particular focus on Afghanistan and South Asia. They also expressed satisfaction at their robust cooperation in multilateral fora and reiterated their resolve to further augment it in the future. Later, Vice Foreign Minister Kong called on Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. They exchanged views on regional situation and multilateral issues of mutual interest and agreed to deepen strategic coordination and communication at all levels. Qureshi congratulated Vice Minister Kong on the successful conclusion of the Pakistan-China bilateral political consultations. Recalling Prime Minister Khan’s successful visit to China in November, Qureshi observed that it marked a milestone in the history of bilateral relations and had deepened the bonds of trust and friendship between two nations. Highlighting the importance of CPEC, Qureshi reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to complete this project as envisaged by the leaderships of both the countries. He said that he was looking forward to participate in the 2nd meeting of China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ trilateral mechanism to be held in Kabul on December 15. Vice Foreign Minister Kong said China attached paramount importance to its relations with Pakistan. He expressed satisfaction over the momentum of bilateral relations and underscored the need for further enhancing them ties in political, economic, defence and cultural spheres. Published in Daily Times, December 11th 2018.