Pakistan, China agree to deepen strategic cooperation

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan and China have noted with satisfaction the positive trajectory of bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to further deepening their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, in accordance with the consensus reached between the leaderships of the two countries.

The Fourth Round of Pakistan-China Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) was held in Beijing. Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch led the Pakistan delegation, while Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong led the Chinese side, the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday.

The two sides also exchanged views on a range of regional and international issues and agreed to further enhance their mutual coordination and consultations, including through high-level exchanges and dialogue mechanisms.

Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch described the Pakistan-China relationship as special and unique and noted that the government and people of Pakistan deeply cherished the enduring friendship between the two countries.

The meeting also reviewed the entire spectrum of practical cooperation between the two countries, with a special focus on the projects driving the high-quality development of CPEC 2.0.

“Both sides agreed to further deepen their mutual partnerships in sectors such as information technology, agriculture and clean energy, driven by the concept of win-win cooperation and pursuit of people centric, inclusive development. The two sides underscored the need to strengthen their mutual coordination at the multilateral forums, including at the United Nations Security Council,” it was further added.

Later, the foreign secretary also held a meeting with Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu. They exchanged views on Pakistan-China relations as well as on regional and international issues of common interest.

CPEC Joint Working Group

Pakistan and China have reaffirmed their commitment to the high-quality development of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC 2.0), with emphasis on industrialization and Special Economic Zones (SEZ’s) as well as on clean energy, agriculture and livelihood projects.

The 5th meeting of the CPEC Joint Working Group on International Cooperation and Coordination (JWG-ICC) was held in Beijing. The meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch and Vice Foreign Minister of China Sun Weidong, Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a press statement.