ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China in two back-to-back meetings on Friday, in Beijing, noted that both sides were satisfied with the positive trajectory of their bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen their “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership”, in accordance with the consensus reached between the leaderships of the two countries.
The first meeting between the two delegations was related to the Pakistan-China Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) while the second one was on CPEC Joint Working Group on International Cooperation and Coordination (JWG-ICC).
Although safety of Chinese workers in Pakistan, especially those working on CPEC projects, has been of great concern to Beijing, where Chinese officials have publicly and in private raised it several times, the Foreign Office here in its statement on Saturday made no reference whether this was raised during the recent bilateral meetings in Beijing.
Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch leading Pakistan’s delegation met with Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong who led the Chinese side during the fourth round of the BPC, which is an institutional process for both countries. The first round of BPC was held in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad, on December 10, 2018.
Immediately after the BPC meeting, the foreign secretary also held a meeting with Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu where they exchanged views on Pakistan-China relations as well as on regional and international issues of common interest. The Foreign Office underlined that the two sides during the BPC also exchanged views on a range of regional and international issues and agreed to further enhance their mutual coordination and consultations, including through high-level exchanges and dialogue mechanisms. “The foreign secretary described Pakistan-China relationship as special and unique and noted that the government and people of Pakistan deeply cherished the enduring friendship between the two countries,” said the Foreign Office.
The meeting also reviewed the entire spectrum of practical cooperation between the two countries, with a special focus on the projects driving the high-quality development of CPEC 2.0.
Both sides agreed to further deepen their mutual partnerships in sectors such as information technology, agriculture and clean energy, driven by the concept of “win-win cooperation” and pursuit of people centric, inclusive development.
They also underscored the need to strengthen their mutual coordination at the multilateral forums, including at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). This gains significance at a time when China remains a permanent member of the UNSC, and Pakistan has started its two-year tenure as a non-permanent member of the Council.
Meanwhile, the 5th meeting of JWG-ICC was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch and China’s Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong where Pakistan described CPEC as the cornerstone of bilateral economic cooperation as well as “a shining symbol of the enduring friendship between the two countries”.
The Chinese vice foreign minister highlighted the mutually reinforcing relationship of the five new corridors introduced under CPEC 2.0, namely growth, livelihood, innovation, open and green corridor with Pakistan’s national development framework centered on 5 E’s namely, Exports, E-Pakistan, Energy, Environment and Equity.
The two sides, according to the Foreign Office, stated that there had been “progress” since the fourth meeting held last year in Islamabad.
During the inaugural meeting of JWG-ICC in 2018, both countries had vowed that attempts to direct “self-serving criticism” against CPEC and BRI would be countered through joint efforts at various levels and modes.
“On Friday in Beijing, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the high-quality development of CPEC 2.0, with its emphasis on industrialisation and Special Economic Zones (SEZs) as well as on clean energy, agriculture and livelihood projects,” added the Foreign Office .
The meeting also acknowledged the pivotal role of CPEC in promoting regional connectivity, win-win cooperation, and common prosperity, including through partnerships with other countries. Looking to the future, the Foreign Office pointed out the two countries would accelerate the building of “China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future in the New Era”, while deepening cooperation in the fields of media, cultural exchanges and people-to-people linkages.
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