Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday reiterated Pakistan’s support for “all” core issues of China, including the One-China policy, Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and the South China Sea.
“Pakistan remains profoundly grateful to China for its generous and timely assistance as we continue to grapple with the headwinds in a global economy,” he said during a joint press conference with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang in Islamabad. Highlighting the longstanding ties between the neighboring nations, he described their friendship as “irreversible,” adding it was a “consensus choice of the two nations.” In a seeming reference to growing ties between the U.S. and India in a bid to counter China, he added: “Pakistan remains against bloc politics or great power competition of any kind.”
Stressing that Pakistan was committed to its engagements with China to boost “south-south cooperation,” Bhutto-Zardari said this was particularly necessary to cope with emerging global concerns like human-induced climate change.
Discussing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the minister described it as a “win-win economic initiative,” adding that it was open to all investors globally. Reiterating Pakistan’s “abiding commitment” to development under CPEC, he added: “CPEC remains a shining example of the Belt and Road Cooperation, which is accelerated socioeconomic development, job creation and improvement of the people’s livelihoods in Pakistan.”
During the press conference, Bhutto-Zardari also emphasized the importance of “peace and stability in Afghanistan” for the socioeconomic development of the region, adding that his Chinese counterpart had agreed with this during their talks. “We will continue to work together with all stakeholders for peaceful, stable, prosperous and united Afghanistan,” he said, ahead of the fifth China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue scheduled for today (Saturday).