ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the 3rd round of talks of the Foreign Ministers of Neighbouring Countries of Afghanistan at Hefei, China.
Speaking to Qureshi, the Chinese foreign minister cautioned against the “bloc confrontation” in Asia and warned to be “vigilant against” the negative spillover effect of the Ukraine crisis.
“We must not allow the cold war mentality to resurface in Asia. We must not allow bloc confrontation to repeat in Asia and must keep away small and medium-sized countries in the region to become tools or even victims of major country rivalry,” Chinese FM told his Pakistani counterpart.
The Chinese dignitary also affirmed China’s support to Pakistan in order to play a “constructive role in regional and world peace.” He also noted Islamabad and Beijing’s growing all-weather strategic cooperation that withstood the test of time and exhibited strong vitality. He added, regardless of the international situation, Beijing will promote Pakistan’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
State Councilor & FM Wang Yi met Pakistani FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi in China. Wang said, we cannot allow Cold War mentality to be revived, camp confrontation to be repeated in Asia. Small & medium-sized countries shall not become tools or even victims of the great power game. pic.twitter.com/fcN0m9Z9hd
— Lijian Zhao 赵立坚 (@zlj517) March 30, 2022
In his meeting, Wang announced that Beijing is ready to roll over Pakistan’s debt of $4.2 billion to Beijing in a bid to help Islamabad stay afloat in the current economic crisis. “I am immensely happy to share that Chinese FM has nodded on the rollover of commercial loan” which was maturing this week and procedural formalities are being completed.
Meanwhile, both the ministers also agreed to ensure “quality development” of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). They also deliberated on bolstering bilateral cooperation and multidimensional partnership in areas such as information technology, agriculture and industry. Pakistan also reiterated its firm adherence to One China Policy.
On the sidelines of the actual summit, Qureshi also met with Afghanistan’s interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Noting the repressive decision of the Taliban to ban girls from secondary education, Qureshi highlighted the “importance of equal respect for the rights of men & women.”
He also called for the interim government to take more steps toward inclusivity. Both the leaders also engaged in a trilateral meeting with Yi, where the top diplomats acknowledged the mandate of a “peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan.” Qureshi added that the leaders agreed to work jointly in pursuit of shared objectives.
