Wang Yi Meets with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

On July 28, 2022 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers' meeting in Tashkent.

Wang Yi said, China and Pakistan are true friends sharing weal and woe, and good brothers treating each other in all sincerity. No matter how the situations at home and abroad may change, both sides unswervingly stick to and safeguard the China-Pakistan friendship, and unswervingly support each other's core interests and major concerns. China will continue to firmly support Pakistan in defending its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, exploring a development path suited to its national conditions to realize solidarity, stability, prosperity and strength, and playing a more important role in regional and international affairs.

Wang Yi said, China appreciates the new Pakistani government's commitment to deepening China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, and stands ready to work with Pakistan to constantly carry out in-depth strategic communication, jointly build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, and inject fresh connotations of the times into the "ironclad" friendship between the two countries. The two sides should constantly deepen and substantiate the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and pragmatic cooperation, advance infrastructure cooperation, strengthen industrial cooperation and seek greater synergy between the industrial and supply chains of the two countries. China supports Chinese enterprises in investing in Pakistan to help the country accelerate its industrialization. China is ready to import more quality agricultural products from Pakistan, and resume and expand air links and personnel exchanges between the two countries in an orderly manner.

Bilawal said, the Pakistan-China friendship has withstood the test of time and grown even stronger. Pakistan has always regarded the Pakistan-China all-weather friendship as the cornerstone of its foreign relations. He thanked China for its strong support for Pakistan's efforts to safeguard its territorial integrity and achieve economic and social development. Pakistan will continue to stand firmly with China on issues involving China's core interests and major concerns. Pakistan looks forward to strengthening high-level exchanges and strategic communication to continuously inject new impetus into bilateral cooperation. Pakistan will speed up the development of the CPEC and demonstrate the "new Pakistan speed". Pakistan is ready to actively explore and promote the extension of the CPEC to Afghanistan. He thanked China for facilitating the return of Pakistani students to China for school and the increase in direct flights between the two countries.

Bilawal said, Pakistan highly appreciates China's leading role in upholding multilateralism, safeguarding world peace and tranquility, promoting global sustainable development and addressing global challenges. Pakistan supports and stands ready to take an active part in the implementation of the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative both put forward by President Xi Jinping.

Bilawal stressed that Pakistan attaches great importance to ensuring the security of Chinese institutions and personnel in Pakistan. The terrorists involved in the April 26 terrorist attack are enemies of the Pakistan-China friendship and Pakistan, and Pakistan will surely give exemplary punishment to them. Pakistan will make all-out efforts to advance the "enhanced version" of security work to prevent similar incidents from happening again. Wang Yi expressed appreciation for this and hoped that Pakistan will speed up the investigation into the April 26 terrorist attack and give exemplary punishment to the murderers. China is ready to reach an agreement with Pakistan on the "enhanced version" of the security work plan and put it into practice.

Both sides said that they will strengthen cooperation within the frameworks of the SCO and the Group of 77 and China, continue to uphold true multilateralism, jointly defend the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, and promote greater democracy in international relations.

The two sides exchanged views on the Afghan issue, and agreed to leverage the strength of the mechanism of the Foreign Ministers' Meeting on the Afghan Issue Among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan, and encourage the Afghan Interim Government to build a broad-based and inclusive government, exercise prudent governance, achieve long-term stability in Afghanistan, and develop good-neighborliness and friendship with neighboring countries.