Chinese President Xi said he highly regards the development of China-Pakistan relations and is ready to work with President Zardari to carry forward the traditional friendship between China and Pakistan. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 10 congratulated Asif Ali Zardari on his election as the Pakistan President, saying that the “iron-clad friendship” between the two countries is a “choice of history” and the “strategic significance” of the ties has become more “prominent” in the light of current changes in the world.

Mr. Zardari, the husband of late Pakistan Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto was overwhelmingly elected as the 14th President of Pakistan on Saturday, becoming the only civilian president of the coup-prone country for a second time.

Mr. Zardari, the co-chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party, was the joint candidate of the ruling alliance of the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

In his message to Mr. Zardari on Sunday, Mr. Xi said “China and Pakistan are good neighbours, good friends, good partners and good brothers, adding that the two countries’ iron-clad friendship is a choice of history and a precious treasure of the two peoples.”

Mr. Xi said that “the two countries have in recent years maintained close high-level exchanges, supported each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, achieved fruitful results in the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and maintained a high level of development of bilateral relations,” state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

India has objected to China over the $60 billion CPEC connecting China’s Xinjiang with Gwadar port in Balochistan as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Mr. Xi in his message said, that as the world is confronted with accelerated changes unseen in a century, the strategic significance of China-Pakistan relations has become more prominent.

Mr. Xi said he highly regards the development of China-Pakistan relations, and is ready to work with President Zardari to carry forward the traditional friendship between China and Pakistan, advance practical cooperation in various fields, push for greater development of China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, accelerate the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, so as to better benefit the two peoples.

Earlier, Mr. Xi greeted Shehbaz Sharif on being elected as Pakistan’s Prime Minister.

The return of Mr. Shehbaz and his brother Nawaz Sharif as well as Mr. Zardari at the helm of Pakistan’s politics and government in the midst of chaos and severe economic crisis in Pakistan is viewed with a sense of relief here as all three of them over their years in power in the past few decades maintained close ties with Chinese leaders and furthered the strategic ties with Beijing viewed widely as a strategic alliance against India.

China had an uneasy relationship with former prime minister Imran Khan’s government which was blamed for the slow pace of $60 billion CPEC.

China has been providing forex loans and rollover of its debt periodically to bail out Pakistan which is facing a severe economic crisis.

Recent reports from Islamabad said China has agreed to roll over a $2 billion loan due to be paid in March.

Xi assured Kakkar that China will continue to support Pakistan in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday proposed to upgrade the USD 60 billion CPEC during a meeting with Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar here but sought “effective measures” to ensure security for hundreds of Chinese workers who faced frequent attacks from militants in the country.

Mr. Kakar along with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickramasinghe is here to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation being hosted by Xi.

Xi assured Kakkar that China will continue to support Pakistan in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.

In his speech at the concluding session of the meeting on Wednesday, Xi promised that two Chinese-backed development banks – the China Development Bank and the Export–Import Bank of China – will each set up 350 billion yuan (USD 47.9 billion) financing windows. An additional 80 billion yuan (USD11 billion) will be invested in Beijing’s Silk Road Fund to support BRI projects.

Pakistan is the largest recipient of BRI funding for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). India, which boycotted the BRI Forum meeting, has protested against the project as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

In his meeting with Kakar, Xi said that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and ironclad friends, noting that successive Pakistani governments have actively supported and participated in the Belt and Road Initiative cooperation.

He said over the past 10 years, the CPEC has achieved fruitful results, effectively promoting Pakistan’s economic and social development, and becoming an important signature project of the Belt and Road cooperation.

Xi pointed out that the two countries should build an upgraded version of the CPEC that promotes growth, people’s well-being, innovation, green development, and openness.

They should also strengthen cooperation in fields including industrial parks, agriculture, mining, and new energy, and facilitate the early implementation of major connectivity projects for tangible results, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

He also expressed the hope that the Pakistani side will take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and institutions in Pakistan.

Several Chinese workers and engineers working on major infrastructure projects under the CPEC in Pakistan have been killed in militant attacks on them in the past, prompting China to demand stepped-up security for its personnel.

The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Balochistan with China’s Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of China’s ambitious multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI is seen as an attempt by China to further its influence abroad with infrastructure projects funded by Chinese investments all over the world.

Mr. Kakar said that the eight major steps announced by President Xi to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation will not only strengthen global connectivity but also promote a more just and reasonable global governance system, providing important opportunities for Pakistan and other countries to achieve better development.

He said that Pakistan will always be a reliable and trustworthy friend of China and will never allow any force to undermine the Pakistan-China friendship.

Pakistan will also be committed to deepening the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China, he added.

Pakistan is willing to closely cooperate with China to promote high-quality development of the CPEC. The Pakistani government will spare no effort to ensure the safety and interests of Chinese personnel and institutions in Pakistan, Kakar said.