ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China discussed regional and global developments on Monday as a visiting official of Beijing’s ruling party met the country’s top leadership.
Liu Haixing, minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee (IDCPC), arrived in Islamabad on a three-day visit on Sunday night. The department is in charge of the CPC’s external relations.
During his meeting with Mr Liu and his delegation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed that Pakistan and China enjoyed an ‘ironclad, time-tested and allweather strategic cooperative partnership’, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
‘Both sides exchanged views on regional and international developments and reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining close coordination and cooperation at bilateral and multilateral forums,’ the PMO statement said.
PM Shehbaz underscored that Pakistan-China friendship was anchored in mutual trust, mutual respect and deeprooted bonds between the people of both countries.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to working closely with China, the prime minister commended the ‘shared focus on advancing cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity, infrastructure development, IT and agricultural modernisation’.
He stressed the importance of sustained political engagement and partyto-party exchanges in further strengthening the bilateral relations.
He also appreciated the important role played by the IDCPC in fostering institutional linkages and promoting cooperation between the political leadership of the two countries.
On his part, Mr Liu ‘appreciated the ongoingmomentum in high-level and party-to-party exchanges, aimed at further bolstering the ironclad friendship between the two countries’, the PMO said.
He conveyed the greetings of the Chinese leadership and reaffirmed China’s commitment to further deepening its longstanding friendship with Pakistan, the statement added.
Meeting with CDF Munir In a separate meeting, Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir discussed ‘evolving regional and international security dynamics and bilateral relations’ with Mr Liu, the military’s media wing said.
The visiting CPC official called on CDF Munir at General Headquartersin Rawalpindi, according to a statement by InterServices Public Relations (ISPR).
Besides discussing matters of mutual interest, both sides ‘expressed their shared resolve to further strengthen the allweather strategic cooperative partnership between Pakistan and China’, the ISPR said.
CDF Munir highlighted the ‘historic and timetested bond between the two countries and emphasised the importance of sustained high-level engagement, stronger institutional linkages and expanded cooperation across areas of mutual interest’.
Mr Liu appreciated Pakistan’s contributions to regional peace and stability and expressed confidence in further advancing the longstanding strategic partnershipbetween the two countries, according to the statement.
Meeting with Ishaq Dar Separately, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also held a bilateral meeting with the IDCPC minister in Islamabad.
The Chinese dignitary conveyed greetings from FM Wang Yi, which DPM Dar ‘warmly reciprocated’, according to the Foreign Office.
‘The two sides discussed ways to enhance cultural ties and peopleto-people exchanges,’ the FO added.