China looks forward to Dar’s visit

ISLAMABAD: The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the first official visit of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to China from May 13-16 is an important part of the institutional exchanges between the two foreign ministries.

“China is willing to work with the Pakistani side to take this visit as an opportunity to further implement the important consensus of the leaders of the two countries,” spokesperson Lin Jian said at his regular press briefing. He mentioned that Dar would hold the fifth round of the Foreign Minister-Level China-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue.

Dar was invited by Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Chinese Foreign Minister Lin. Describing China and Pakistan as all-weather strategic partners and “ironclad” friends, he noted that in recent years, the two countries have maintained close high-level exchanges and exchanges at all levels, joined hands to cope with changes in the international and regional situation, deepened mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, and pushed forward the China-Pakistan friendship, which has become stronger over the years. After the completion of the elections in Pakistan this year, President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and Chairman Zhao Leji sent congratulatory messages to the Pakistani leaders at the first opportunity, expressing China’s sincere congratulations and good wishes, he added.

The spokesperson said the Chinese side was willing to carry forward the traditional friendship between China and Pakistan, strengthen strategic communication and coordination, deepen practical cooperation in various fields, and create an “upgraded” version of the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. He expressed China’s desire to deepen the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and accelerate the construction of a closer community of destiny between China and Pakistan in the new era.