Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan Meets with Wang Yi

On March 22, 2022 local time, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan met with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Prime Minister's Office in Islamabad.

Imran Khan welcomed Wang Yi to attend the session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for the first time as Chinese foreign minister and appreciated that China attaches great importance to its relations with Islamic countries. He said, the time-honored philosophy of "Seek knowledge even if you have to go as far as China", which is well known to the Islamic world, fully demonstrates the long history of bilateral exchanges.

Imran Khan merrily recalled the successful meetings with Chinese leaders during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, spoke highly of the increasingly close communication and contact between Pakistan and China, and expressed his readiness to work with the Chinese side to jointly push for more achievements in cooperation in all fields. The "iron-clad friendship" between Pakistan and China is not only the decision of the two governments but also the choice of the two peoples. Pakistan-China cooperation has provided positive energy to both sides and the world. Pakistan is full of confidence in the future of bilateral relations.

Wang Yi congratulated Pakistan on successfully hosting the session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, saying that the session sends out a strong voice of the Islamic world in pursuit of peace and justice and will surely inspire and encourage the 1.6 billion Islamic people. Wang Yi said, the China-Pakistan friendship has stood the test of time and is unbreakable. Both sides have always understood and supported each other and stood firmly together. China appreciates Pakistan's priority on development and stands ready to provide assistance within its capacity for Pakistan to overcome difficulties and recover its economy and push for more results in bilateral practical cooperation in all fields. China encourages Chinese enterprises to invest in Pakistan to help the country expand employment and accelerate industrialization. He hopes that all parties and factions in Pakistan will strengthen unity and safeguard the hard-won development and stability.

The two sides spoke highly of the strategic significance of China-Pakistan relations, saying that in the face of the turbulent international situation, China and Pakistan should further strengthen solidarity and coordination and continue to serve as a stabilizer for the region and the world at large.

The two sides fully recognized the positive role of the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Dialogue and the Foreign Ministers' Meeting on the Afghan Issue Among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan. Imran Khan said, China-Afghanistan-Pakistan cooperation is conducive to stability in Afghanistan and its role as a hub in regional connectivity. Pakistan is ready to work with China to jointly advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan.

The two sides exchanged views on the Ukraine issue, saying that China and Pakistan have jointly made voices of calling for peace and promoting peace talks. The two sides maintain that Ukraine should become a bridge for communication between the East and the West, rather than the forefront of the major-power rivalry. At present, it is imperative to prevent the spillover of the Ukraine crisis. The United States, Europe, and NATO should conduct dialogues with Russia, and build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture in accordance with the principle of indivisible security, so that Europe can be free from war and other regions and countries will not be implicated.