Chinese envoy meets interior minister, discusses mutual ties

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of China to Pakistan Nong Rong met Federal Minister for Interior Brig (R) Ijaz Ahmad Shah at the Ministry of Interior on Thursday.

While welcoming the ambassador and acknowledging the time tested friendship of Pakistan and China, the minister said that the two countries are like two bodies one soul and that the cooperation between the two has only strengthened over the years.

The ambassador agreed with the minister and said that the cooperation between Pakistan and China had always proven to be fruitful and very productive. Nong Rong appreciated the security arrangements done for the Chinese people and CPEC projects in Pakistan.

"Ensuring foolproof security for CPEC projects and overall environment is our utmost priority" the minister said. "We have increased the manpower and overall strength of FC and Frontier Corps to make sure that there is no problem faced in the smooth functioning of CPEC projects" he added.

The ambassador thanked the minister for cooperation in visa related affairs to which the minister replied that overall process of visa issuance had been streamlined and they tried that there should be no hurdles in this regard. However, if there's any problem faced, they will ensure full assistance, he added.

While addressing the COVID-19 situation, the Ijaz Ahmad Shah said, “Not only the government, the people of Pakistan are very thankful to the Chinese government for providing assistance during pandemic crisis. China came to our help at very early stage, people of our country really appreciate it."

CPEC has become the game changer for the entire region, the minister said while appreciating China's role in developmental projects in Pakistan. The infrastructure and development has played a pivotal role in economic progress, he added. To which the ambassador replied that the two countries had always been successfully working in mutual projects. The meeting concluded with the hope that the two countries would continue to work together and further strengthen the bilateral ties in days to come.