Pakistan announced on Wednesday that it had agreed to enhance trade and investment ties with China, just days after a deadly conflict with India, which Beijing has called to resolve through dialogue.
Arch rivals India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on May 10, after four days of fighting, the worst in nearly three decades.
India-Pakistan Conflict
Tensions escalated between the nuclear-armed neighbours after a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 people, all men and mostly Hindu tourists.
India blames Pakistan for the attack, but Islamabad has denied any involvement.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met his counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Tuesday.
China welcomes and supports efforts by Pakistan and India to handle their differences through dialogue and to achieve a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire, Wang Yi said on Tuesday.
China Pledges Support
Wang told Dar that China will support Pakistan in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry.
Apart from maintaining close communication, the two countries agreed to more cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, industrialisation, and other sectors, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.
Separately, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said that Dar and Wang held another meeting with Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi in Beijing.
The leaders decided to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan and cooperate further for China’s global infrastructure program, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The next meeting between the three leaders will be held in Kabul, the ministry said.
All-Weather Allies
Over the decades, China and Pakistan have built strong ties across defence, economic, and diplomatic spheres.
China is Pakistan’s largest trading partner and a major investor, notably through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship Belt and Road Initiative project.
Militarily, the countries conduct joint exercises and collaborate on defence technology. Diplomatically, they support each other on international platforms.
(With inputs from Reuters)
