Pakistan and China reaffirmed their strategic partnership in challenging times and agreed
to continue the regular exchange of perspectives on issues of mutual interest.”
The recent visit by a Pak military delegation to China is basically a reminder to
the West that China remains its steadfast partner and ally in military and
strategic relations, in the past, present, and future.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a press release on Sunday, stated
that a delegation of Pakistan’s military forces visited China from June 9-June
12, 2022.
The meeting held on June 12 th was led by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General
Qamar Javed Bajwa, from Pakistan, while the Chinese side was led by Vice
Chairman Central Military Commission of China, General Zhang Youxia.
According to the statement, both parties discussed their perspectives on
international and regional security issues and expressed satisfaction with their
defense cooperation.
Pakistan and China reaffirmed their strategic partnership in challenging times
and agreed to continue the regular exchange of perspectives on issues of mutual
interest the ISPR said, adding that both sides further vowed to enhance their
training, technology, and counterterrorism cooperation at the tri-service level.
Also, earlier this week, at the 7th CPEC Media Forum in Islamabad, Chinese
Charge Affaires Pang Chunxue and Pakistani leaders met and warned of
growing threats to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) from
disinformation about the mega-development project, and emphasiemphasizedsed the
need for cooperation in combating it.
Even though Pakistan and China have made significant progress since the
CPEC’s inception in 2013. “False propaganda and disinformation on CPEC are on
the rise. Hostile forces are trying to undermine the development of CPEC, as
well as the unity and mutual trust between the two countries,” Chinese chargé
d’affaires Pang Chunxue added.
As a result, the Pakistani Prime Minister’s recent visit to China reaffirms the country’s commitment to the CPEC and, more significantly, to its success, which both the US and India want to see collapse. In the meeting, both sides also strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the Confucius Institute’s shuttle van at the University of Karachi in Pakistan in April, according to a statement released by the Chinese military, and highlighted that any attempt to undermine the China-Pakistan friendship is bound to fail. General Bajwa emphasized that Pakistan is prepared to improve dialogue and coordination with the Chinese military, carry out mutually beneficial cooperation, crack down on terrorist forces and work to improve both sides capabilities in dealing with various security challenges, protect the two the country’s common interests, and contribute to regional peace.
Similarly, during the talks, General Zhang stated that China is willing to increase communication and pragmatic exchanges with Pakistan, as well as address the complex circumstances in the regional situation, in order to drive military-to-military relations forward.
Despite concerns from the West over China & expanding influence in the
the region, relations between the two countries have progressively improved in all
areas. Pakistan also depends on China for military equipment as Beijing recently gave
J-10 fighter jets to Pakistan’s air force in order to boost its combat capabilities
and counteract India’s strategic advantage after it purchased Rafale fighter jets
from France.
Hence, this visit also reassures the Chinese that Pakistan’s military, which is the
de-facto decision-maker in the country’s foreign policy and rule, is firmly
behind its Chinese allies and shares a common goal.
As Foreign Minister Bilawal Zardari pointed out, for Pakistan, China is the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
