ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthen relations with China in the spheres of politics, trade and economy.
Interacting with the Chinese media on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of Communist Party of China (CPC), the prime minister said it is inappropriate to pressure countries to take sides and stressed that the ties between Pakistan and China will not be affected by any sort of pressure.
“The United States expects Pakistan to choose a side. This is not appropriate,” he said. “The relationship between Pakistan and China is very deep, it’s not just governments, but a people-to-people relationship,” he added.
“Whatever will happen…[the] relationship between our two countries, no matter what pressure is put on us, is not going to change,” the Prime Minister said in response to a question.
PM Imran Khan said he is also going to Gwadar next week to oversee the pace of corridor-related projects. He said his visit to China is also in the offing which will focus on further strengthen the bilateral relationship.
The prime minister said China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a project that gives us optimism and hope for future economic development. He said a high-level committee has also been constituted to monitor progress on the CPEC-related projects and make sure there is no impediment in their way.
He said Pakistan hopes to attract the Chinese industries in the Special Economic Zones being established under the second phase of the CPEC. He said they are also looking to benefit from the Chinese expertise in the agriculture sector to bolster the productivity of this sector of the economy.
The prime minister said China always stood by Pakistan in difficult times. “This is why the people of Pakistan have a special place in their heart for their Chinese friends,” he added.
The prime minister said when Pakistan had been in trouble politically or internationally or had conflicts with its neighbour, China always stood with it. The people of China have a special place in the hearts of the people of Pakistan, he said.
“You remember friends who stand with you in all times. In good times, everyone stands with you, but in difficult, tough, and bad times, you remember those people who stood by you.”
Felicitating China on the 100th anniversary of the CPC, PM Imran Khan said Pakistan admires President Xi Jinping as one of the greatest statesmen of the modern world. He said the Chinese President’s drive against corruption and the way he brought millions of people out of poverty is really admirable.
“China has lifted 700 million people out of poverty in a few years, which is a great achievement. We want to further develop political, economic and trade relations between the two countries.”
PM Imran Khan said that Pakistanis are impressed by the Chinese president’s fight against corruption and consider him “a great politician of modern times”. He said President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign is effective and successful.
Responding to a question, Imran Khan said China stands out the way they coped with Covid-19 pandemic. He said we are also thankful to China for donating vaccine which helped Pakistan better tackle with the pandemic.
To a question, the Prime Minister said Pakistan accepts the Chinese version on Xinjiang situation. He said it is hypocritical that there is no mention of worst human rights violations being carried out in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir in the western media.
About Afghanistan, the prime minister said the breakout of civil war in the country will have serious consequences for the region. Therefore, he said, Pakistan wants political settlement in Afghanistan at all costs.
