Foreign policy: China’s Sun highlights his country’s approach to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Vice Foreign Minister of China Sun Weidong has said that China accorded immense importance to Pakistan in its foreign policy and looked forward to deeper cooperation in all fields.

The visiting Chinese Vice Foreign Minister held a meeting with caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani in his office on Monday, the Foreign Office said.

“Foreign Minister Jilani and Vice Foreign Minister Sun reaffirmed the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership and held an in-depth discussion on the entire gamut of bilateral relations including CPEC and bilateral economic and financial cooperation,” read a statement issued after the meeting.

It added that caretaker Foreign Minister Jilani appreciated the contributions of the Vice Foreign Minister in deepening Pakistan-China friendship and commended China’s unflinching support to Pakistan on all issues.

Expressing satisfaction at the steady development of CPEC, Jilani emphasized the significance of CPEC for Pakistan. He said that Pakistan would continue making efforts for the realisation of CPEC’s full potential for shared benefits. He appreciated China’s readiness and support for all CPEC projects in Pakistan.

“Thanking the Foreign Minister for the generous hospitality, Vice Foreign Minister Sun highlighted that as iron brother and a reliable friend, China accorded immense importance to Pakistan in its foreign policy and looked forward to even deeper cooperation in all fields,” it added.

Earlier on Sunday, the visiting Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun together with Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi, co-chaired the 4th meeting of CPEC Joint Working Group on International Cooperation and Coordination (JWG-ICC).

In the meeting, the two sides exemplify the commitment of both countries to foster international cooperation and coordination including on CPEC.

According to a statement of the Foreign Office, the two sides reviewed with satisfaction the progress made since the third meeting of the Joint Working Group held virtually on 21 July 2022.

The meeting underscored CPEC’s pioneering role in strengthening international and regional connectivity while appreciating the open and inclusive nature of this flagship project.

Recognising the evolution of CPEC, the two sides agreed to enhance focus on high-quality advancements in industry, agriculture, information technology, and science and technology, and ensuring tangible socio-economic benefits for the people. “They rejected the disinformation campaigns and distorted reporting on CPEC and stressed the need to counter fallacious narratives and misinformation,” read the statement which was issued earlier on Sunday.

Recalling the deliberations of the Second and the Third Pakistan-China Think Tanks Forum in September 2022 and July 2023, the two sides expressed joint support for media and think tanks cooperation. They also agreed on sharing of best practices and generating an intellectual knowledge pool of CPEC and BRI development through enhanced international communication and cooperation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024