Chinese VP, Pakistani caretaker PM meet on ties

NEW YORK, Sept. 22 — Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Thursday met with Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, reaffirming the two countries’ traditional friendship and vowing enhanced coordination in international affairs.

Han and Kakar held talks in New York as they were attending the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Han said China and Pakistan are neighbors, friends for generations and all-weather strategic cooperative partners.

Leaders of the two countries have maintained close communication, reaching a great deal of important consensus on guiding the China-Pakistan relations and their practical cooperation, he said.

China is willing to work with the Pakistani side to deepen strategic mutual trust, carry forward traditional friendship, deepen cooperation surrounding the Belt and Road, jointly build the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to ensure its high quality, and speed up the building of an even closer community with a shared future for China and Pakistan in the new era, Han said.

The vice president noted that China appreciates Pakistan’s zero tolerance for terrorism, hoping that the Pakistani side will constantly strengthen security guarantees to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and projects in Pakistan.

The two countries should enhance coordination within institutions such as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, practice genuine multilateralism, protect the common interests of the two countries and other developing countries, and safeguard regional peace, security and development, Han added.

Kakar, for his part, said that Pakistan and China are all-weather strategic cooperative partners, and their brotherhood is ironclad.

Pakistan firmly supports the series of important initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping, abides by the one-China principle, and is willing to work together with the Chinese side to continue supporting each other in terms of issues relating to their core interests and grave concerns, Kakar said.

Pakistan is also willing to join hands with the Chinese side in promoting the high-quality development of CPEC and constantly injecting new momentum into the development of bilateral ties, Kakar added. ■

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meets with Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, the United States, Sept. 21, 2023.