China assures Pak of its support
BEIJING: China’s foreign minister Wang Yi on Monday assured Pakistan of Beijing’s “firm” support in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity “no matter what changes” internationally or within the two countries, in an apparent show of strength against regional rival India
Wang conveyed China’s message of unequivocal support to Pakistan during a joint press conference with counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad.
Wang, who is also the China’s state councillor, is in the capital to attend the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), as well as to hold a bilateral meeting with “iron brother” and strategic ally Pakistan. Qureshi invited Wang as a special guest to attend the two-day conference being held from March 22 to 23.
In his meeting with Qureshi, Wang proposed that efforts be made in four specific areas: strengthening of bilateral diplomatic ties; accelerating common development and revitalisation, deepening counter-terrorism cooperation, and maintaining closer multilateral coordination.
“First, giving firm support to each other. No matter what changes take place in the international situation and their respective countries,” Wang was quoted as telling Qureshi in an official Chinese readout. “China will stick to its friendly policy toward Pakistan, firmly support the Pakistani people in taking a development path that fits their own national conditions, and support Pakistan in defending its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.”
Wang said the two countries are committed to enhancing strategic coordination and pragmatic cooperation.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether OIC members will raise the alleged abuse of Uighur and other Muslim minorities in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Human rights activists have long claimed some one million Uighurs have been held in mass detention in the remote western region.
China has consistently denied the allegations.At the conference, Wang is expected to push Beijing’s narrative on how well the Communist Party of China (CPC) treats its Muslim minorities. Wang said he was attending the OIC for developing a partnership with the Muslim world, besides promoting unity and cooperation for the multilateralism.
PM Khan talks about Russia-Ukraine conflict Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday suggested that close ally China and Islamic countries mediate in the RussiaUkraine conflict and try to bring about a ceasefire.
““I want to discuss how, maybe OIC along with China, we can all step in and try to stop this conflict which is going to have, if it keeps going the way it is, it would have great consequences for the rest of the world,” Khan told an OIC conference in Islamabad.
Khan is hosting the conference whilst scrambling to fight a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly as early as next week, with the opposition accusing the prime minister of mismanaging the economy and foreign policy.