PM Imran Khan’s visit to inject new impetus into bilateral partnership: China

• China believes Imran Khan’s visit to Beijing will inject a new impetus into bilateral partnership.
• Chinese Foreign Ministry says there are lot of fruitful outcomes from Imran Khan’s visit.

BEIJING: China Thursday said it believed that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent visit to Beijing would inject a new impetus into bilateral partnership between the two all-weather friends and there were a lot of fruitful outcomes from his visit.

“There are a lot of fruitful outcomes from Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit. This will be a new impetus into our bilateral partnership,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Geng Shuang while responding to a question of APP during his regular briefing.

Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday wrapped up his successful visit to China during which he held important meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and other top leadership and discussed bilateral strategic and economic cooperation besides attending the closing ceremony of International Horticultural Exhibition.

He also met with prominent Chinese entrepreneurs and businessmen and offered them incentives for investment in projects under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a demonstrative project under BRI.

The spokesperson said that China paid highly importance to the meetings between Prime Minister Imran Khan and China’s top leadership.

“President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman, National People’s Congress (NPC), Li Zhanshu met and talked with Prime Minister Imran Khan and exchanged views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest,” he added.

Geng Shuang remarked that both sides believed that a close exchange of high-level officials and closer strategic coordination and communication was very important.

He said the two countries had agreed to enhance cooperation in the United Nations, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and other multilateral mechanisms to uphold regional peace and stability.  “We also agreed to enhance our cooperation in UN, SCO and other multilateral mechanisms to uphold regional peace and stability,” he added.

About the economic cooperation, he said that both sides agreed to advance the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) by ensuring high quality.

They also agreed to build the CPEC into an exemplary and demonstrative project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), he added.

“We will enhance our cooperation in infrastructure, economy, trade industrial capacity and other areas, so that we can achieve win-win results” he added.

The two countries signed many cooperation documents including those in infrastructure building, law-enforcement, security, culture, education and media, he added.

In response to a question regarding President Xi’s forthcoming visit to India, starting from Friday and the possibility of talks on Kashmir issue during Xi-Modi meeting, he said that China’s position on the Kashmir issue was consistent and clear.  “On President Xi and Prime Minister Modi’s meeting, we will release information in due course,” he added.

To a question about pre-trial permission granted to Huawei, a Chinese telecom giant, by Indian government before President Xi’s visit, he said that Huawei had been conducting business in India, making contributions to the local community and economy.

On the 5G Network issue, China believed that the Indian side would make independent and objective decision and provide a fair, just and nondiscriminatory environment for Chinese companies, he added.

President Xi Jinping will visit India from October 11 to 12 to take part in the 2nd informal summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during which they are expected to hold talks on bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international issues.