Home Latest News China Assures Pakistan of Continued Support as ‘Strategic Partner’

China Assures Pakistan of Continued Support as ‘Strategic Partner’

by Staff Report

File photo

In meeting with Chinese envoy Nong Rong, Chief of Army Staff Gen. Bajwa reiterates resolve to thwart any spoilers to CPEC

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong on Tuesday assured Pakistan Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa that Beijing will continue to support Islamabad as a strategic partner.

The envoy called on the Chief of Army Staff at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, according to a statement issued by media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), and discussed matters of mutual interest, with an emphasis on the regional security situation.

It said that the two officials had also discussed the evolving situation in Afghanistan, with the Chinese envoy appreciating Pakistan’s sincere efforts to achieve regional peace and stability. “China will continue to support Pakistan as a strategic partner,” Nong was quoted as telling Bajwa.

According to ISPR, Gen. Bajwa reiterated his resolve to thwart the designs of any spoilers to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative.

There has been growing concern from China—both publicly and in private—over the security of its citizens in Pakistan following two separate terror attacks targeting them. In July, a bus transporting Chinese nationals working on the Dasu hydropower project was targeted with a suicide bomb that killed nine Chinese citizens and three Pakistanis. Last month, a Chinese vehicle was targeted in Gwadar, leaving two Pakistani children dead and a Chinese national and two more Pakistanis injured.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in a press conference, blamed India and Afghanistan for the Dasu attack.

Also on Tuesday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas met Gen. Bajwa at GHQ and discussed matters of mutual interest, the overall regional security situation including the latest developments in Afghanistan, and bilateral cooperation in various fields.

“Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Germany,” the ISPR quoted the Army chief as telling the visiting dignitary. It said he also expressed a desire for enhanced mutually beneficial bilateral relations.

The German dignitary, said ISPR, acknowledged Pakistan’s continuous efforts for peace and stability in the region and thanked Gen. Bajwa for the assistance rendered by Pakistan during evacuations from Kabul.

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