Chinese FM calls for expanding all-round cooperation with Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Feb. 12-- Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday called for expanding all-round exchanges and cooperation between China and Pakistan.

Wang made the statement here Thursday during his meeting with adviser to the Pakistani Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz.

Speaking highly about the friendship between China and Pakistan, Wang called the two countries "bosom buddies" and "true friends", noting that their friendly ties are not built overnight, but have withstood the test of time and history.

President Xi Jinping is going to visit Pakistan this year. The visit, which comes nine years after his last visit and to be his first to the country as president, will surely be an important one to further consolidate the all-weather strategic partnership between the two countries and deepen their all-round cooperation, Wang said.

China and Pakistan's practical economic cooperation and security cooperation should go side by side and complement each other, Wang said.

The China-Pakistan economic corridor, which is an flagship project of the "One Belt, One Road" initiatives intend to revive the ancient Silk Road with a focus on infrastructure, constitutes the strategic framework of the bilateral pragmatic cooperation, Wang said.

The two sides are to further boost the construction of the economic corridor and strive to achieve more progress in projects and fields such as the port of Gwadar, energy, transportation infrastructure, and industry cooperation so as to bring greater benefits to people of the two countries, he said.

The two countries will also work to consolidate the security cooperation firewall and strength anti-terrorism cooperation to safeguard the safety of both countries and peoples, he said.

The two countries are to strengthen cultural exchanges and work together to successfully conduct the celebration activities of the China-Pakistan Year of Friendly Exchanges, so that bilateral goodwill will be deeply rooted in hearts of the two peoples, he said.

Wang also called on the two sides to strength coordination and cooperation in regional and international affairs, so as to jointly safeguard the interests of developing countries.

For his part, Aziz said Pakistan considers relations with China as a cornerstone of its foreign policy. Pakistan will always adhere to the one-China policy and staunchly support China's core interests and major concerns. The country is ready to strength its cooperation and coordination with China in international and regional affairs.

Pakistan is looking forward to President Xi's visit and believes it will become a new milestone in the bilateral ties, he said.

Pakistan is ready to work with China to boost the construction of China-Pakistan economic corridor, and materialize the energy and infrastructure construction projects.

The country fully supports China's crackdown on the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, and will continue to protect the safety of Chinese projects and persons in the country, said Aziz.