China, Pakistan reaffirm ties as US outreach to Islamabad deepens

(Reuters)

BEIJING, Jan 5 – China and Pakistan pledged on Monday to further deepen ties and expand cooperation, reaffirming to each other their historically “ironclad” friendship as signs of rapprochement between Islamabad and Washington grow.

Pakistan is one of China’s closest partners, diplomatically supporting Beijing on a wide range of internationally sensitive issues ranging from the status of Taiwan to Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong and the South China Sea.

In exchange, Beijing has poured billions of dollars into the South Asian country through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – a flagship project under China’s Belt and Road trade and infrastructure initiative.

But repeated Islamist militant attacks on Chinese nationals working on the CPEC and other projects in Pakistan have become a major source of tension in recent years.

Adding to the complexity in the Sino-Pakistani relationship, U.S.-Pakistani ties have warmed since President Donald Trump returned to the White House a year ago and landed a diplomatic victory in a region that China regards as within its sphere of influence.

Pakistan even said it would recommend Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for helping resolve a conflict it had with India.

In a joint statement on Monday, China and Pakistan said they would build an upgraded version of the CPEC, focus on their cooperation on industry, agriculture and mining, and step up collaboration in the financial and banking sector.

China then praised Pakistan’s “comprehensive measures” to protect the safety of Chinese personnel and projects, the statement read.

Both sides also called for more “visible and verifiable actions to dismantle and eliminate all terrorist organisations” entrenched in Afghanistan, which shares borders with both Pakistan and China. No details were given.