BEIJING: Pakistan Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque on Wednesday met with Liu Jianchao, the newly appointed Minister of International Department of Communist Party of China (IDCPC) and appreciated the role of IDPC for solidifying fraternal ties between Pakistan and China. During the meeting, both sides held extensive discussions on the overall relationship between Pakistan and China and also exchanged views for further deepening bilateral friendship between the two countries. Thanking Liu Jianchao for the warm welcome and felicitating him on his recent appointment, Ambassador Haque underscored that friendship with China was the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy enjoying unanimous institutional and public support in Pakistan. Highlighting the role of CPEC for solidifying bilateral economic ties, Ambassador Haque said that as the flagship project of BRI, CPEC carried immense strategic significance for both countries and had contributed to Pakistan’s socio-economic development. He also expressed Pakistan’s desire to further enhance economic and trade ties with China for the shared benefits of two sides. In his remarks, Liu Jianchao said that Pakistan and China were all-weather strategic cooperative partners, iron-brothers and most reliable friends. He added that Communist Party of China attached immense importance to strengthening bilateral ties with Pakistan and would continue its role for deepening of strategic trust and friendly relations between the two countries. Highlighting the significance of strong bilateral ties, Liu Jianchao added that in the face of transformation in the international political landscape, ironclad friendship between Pakistan and China was a factor of regional peace and stability. He also expressed China’s readiness to work with Pakistan for the high quality development of CPEC as envisaged by the leadership of Pakistan and China. The ambassador invited Liu Jianchao to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience which the latter graciously accepted.