DNA

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan and China on Monday reiterated their desire for enhanced cooperation in the areas of economy, information technology, agriculture, and human resource development for the mutual benefit of the two friendly countries.

This was discussed in a meeting between the visiting Vice Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China Sun Weidong, who along with his delegation called on President Dr Arif Alvi, at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong, was also present during the meeting, a President House press release said.

Welcoming the delegation, the president said that China was a very dear friend that had always supported Pakistan during difficult times.

He highlighted that CPEC projects had contributed to the economic development of Pakistan, besides helping meet its energy needs.

The president stated that Pakistan was fully committed to the high-quality development of CPEC, adding that the Chinese support in the next phase of CPEC would be crucial for Pakistan’s industrial development.

He remarked that economic cooperation between the two friendly countries would further cement bilateral ties. He appreciated the Chinese support in stabilising Pakistan’s economy.

The president said that Pakistan wanted to learn from the Chinese experience in IT, education, health, agriculture, and poverty alleviation for its socio-economic development.

He remarked that Pakistan and China held similar views on various regional and international issues and cooperated at different fora.

He reiterated that Pakistan would continue to support China on all core issues, including the “One China” Policy, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang, and the South China Sea.

He said that Pakistan was grateful to China for supporting Pakistan’s national development and its principled stance on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

The visiting Vice Foreign Minister of China said that Pakistan and China had a long history of friendly relations which would continue to grow stronger.

He said that CPEC had yielded fruitful results and that both countries had huge potential for increasing cooperation in various fields.

He also thanked the president for visiting China during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, saying that his support to express solidarity with China would always be remembered.