China lauds Pak support for combating three evils

BEIJING: China highly appreciates Pakistan’s support combating the threat of "three forces" of extremism, separatism and terrorism, says report published in Global Times on Monday.

It is universally acknowledged that security is the core of national interest, as the political, economic and cultural interests of a country can barely be safeguarded if its national survival is under threat.

Currently, China, Pakistan, India and many other countries are all confronted with the threat of the "three forces" of extremism, separatism and terrorism. According to statistics, a significant number of terrorists in China have infiltrated from abroad. On the other hand, some local Chinese citizens, deceived and brainwashed by extreme religious ideas, embraced extremism, joined terrorist organizations and came back to China to launch terror attacks.

To crack down on the "three forces," international cooperation is of prime significance, especially coordination among countries in South and West Asia and Central Asia, which serve as the main gateways for infiltration and escape of Chinese terrorists.

From this point of view, the joint efforts made by China and Pakistan in combating terrorism and the "three forces" are not only conducive to maintaining the common security of the two countries, but also beneficial for the stability of Central and South Asia.

The "three forces" are bred by a combination of many factors, among which underdevelopment of specific areas is the most important. China has always held that one of the necessary conditions to fundamentally remove the breeding ground for terrorism is to vigorously promote the coordinated development of regional economy and society.

With the implementation of the CPEC project in the last five years, the traditional political and strategic relations between the two countries have transformed into a continuously deepening pragmatic partnership with an economic win-win strategy.

The construction of CPEC is of strategic and economic significance to both China and Pakistan as well as South Asia. Considering that sea transportation is comparatively cheap and safe, China must attach great importance to the construction of the south route of the Silk Road, that is, to connect the CPEC with the Silk Road Economic Belt, and to make supporting the economic and social development of Pakistan as the top priority of the Silk Road strategy. —