The meeting between President Xi Jin Ping and PM Imran Khan on (Feb 6) at Beijing removes speculation. It also signals that all is well on track between China and Pakistan. Both agreed to further consolidate the trust-based time-tested relationship and coordinate economic as well as the counter terrorism cooperation.
The much-anticipated meeting between President Xi Jin Ping and PM Imran Khan on (Feb 6) in Beijing removed a lot of mist around the bilateral relationship. The meeting as well as the ensuing 33-point Joint Declaration put to rest all the wild speculation, on a slow-down in CPEC projects and the reported Chinese displeasure over the issue of outstanding payments to the Chinese power companies.
“I think these are hyped technical issues, and would not form major obstacles for our two countries’ greater cooperation,” said a senior Chinese diplomat when asked if the payments constitute a major obstacle.
Below, is a brief analysis of the joint statement that spoke: “highly of the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between China and Pakistan.”
In bilateral interactions and the meeting, both sides reviewed the major “achievements made by the two countries in combating the pandemic, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties and responding to changes in Afghanistan.”
Chinese diplomatic sources say the joint statement has charted the course for China-Pakistan cooperation for the next stage, including the “high-quality development of CPEC, joint response to address COVID-19, deepening economic and trade cooperation, strengthening people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and resolving the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
The joint statement reflects the mutual trust, assistance, and cooperation between the two countries, with a reiteration of commitment to building an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era and bringing benefits to the two peoples, providing impetus for regional cooperation and contributing to world peace.
Interestingly, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics theme – Together For A Shared Future – also reflects the same sentiment and reflects the Chinese ethos i.e., desire to grow and help others grow and develop in a peaceful environment.
Has the joint statement laid down new important guidelines for the development of bilateral relations in the future? This will become clear in the coming days now that the top leadership in Beijing appears convinced that Pakistani civil and military leadership is now categorically united in the nature and scope of its relations with China. We have yet to see whether the Beijing meeting made any real progress on the issue of ML-1 (Train project) and Pakistan’s request for a multi-billion-dollar Balance of Payment (BoP). China has already done it twice. Will it do it again to help Islamabad ride out of the financial turbulence and lessen its dependence on expensive loans, including the conditions-laden IMF package reviewed recently?
But the forward movement also depends on whether Pakistan’s decision-makers and implementation organs adjust themselves swiftly to the Chinese expectations.
