Xi Jinping meets Pakistan President Zardari, hails ‘ironclad friendship’ between both countries – The Tribune

China and Pakistan have provided “firm political support” to each other and enjoyed “ironclad” friendship, Chinese President Xi Jinping said here on Wednesday as he held talks with his Pakistan counterpart Asif Ali Zardari.

Xi said that China and Pakistan enjoy ironclad friendship and are all-weather strategic cooperative partners, official media here reported.

In recent years, the two countries have provided firm political support to each other, maintained close high-level exchanges, advanced the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and cooperation in various fields, he said.

While the USD 60 billion CPEC connecting China’s Xinjiang with Pakistan’s Gwadar port was hailed as a game changer by Pakistan leaders, the project has also resulted in tensions between the two countries as China is increasingly concerned about the recurring attacks by Balochistan and Islamic militants on scores of Chinese working on CPEC projects.

Earlier, Zardari, who arrived here on a five-day visit on Tuesday, met chairman of the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress, Zhao Leji.

The two leaders underlined strategic mutual trust as the cornerstone of the China-Pakistan relationship, Pakistan’s state-run APP news agency reported.

Zardari is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Naqvi, among other officials.

Zardari was among four leaders China invited to take part in the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, which was described by the Chinese Foreign Ministry as “another major comprehensive international winter sports event held by China after the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics”.

China is hosting leaders from Asian countries as it celebrated the Chinese Year of the Snake. Besides Zardari, the invitees included heads of the state of Kyrgyzstan, Brunei and Thailand.