In an exclusive interview with Chinese state-owned media house Global Times, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque, said the two countries have become “Iron-clad brothers” since the establishment of relations in 1951, despite changes in leadership. He also underscored that the new Shehbaz Sharif government is determined to carry forward the development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Talking about the country’s new Prime Minister (PM) and his vision for his government’s relationship with Beijing, Haque said that Sharif is “an old friend of China” who has “made valuable services to strengthening Pakistan-China friendship.” “He is fond of China’s rapid development and economic progress and has worked closely with the Chinese government in the past on the completion of many CPEC [China Pakistan Economic Corridor] projects,” Haque noted.
Chinese envoy conveys greetings to Shehbaz Sharif; calls him China’s committed, respected friend#CPEC #BRI @CathayPak @WangXianfeng8 @PakAmbChina @zhang_heqing @AmbNong pic.twitter.com/RsccZwjKrO
— CPEC Official (@CPEC_Official) April 13, 2022
Speaking further on the matter of BRI, Haque said that the new government is “committed to [the] timely completion of CPEC projects,” noting that Sharif, in his last stint as Chief Minister of Punjab, “provided political support” and “closely monitored and accelerated the implementation of all infrastructure and energy projects in Punjab.”
The new government will continue to prioritise and “make rapid progress on the development of the Gwadar Port and Free Trade Zone to promote regional connectivity and economic integration,” Haque assured. Regarding the security issues surrounding development projects such as CPEC, Haque said Pakistani law enforcement agencies and armed forces “remain vigilant to counter all nefarious designs” against CPEC. He added that the country has “put in place an elaborate security mechanism to ensure safety and security of all CPEC projects and personnel.”
We are extremely grateful to President Xi Jingping and the People’s Republic of #China for having gifted us #CPEC, which is a game-changer for #Pakistan,says PM #Shehbaz Sharif#CPEC #BRI #MetroBus@CathayPak @WangXianfeng8 @PakAmbChina @zhang_heqing @AmbNong @CMShehbaz pic.twitter.com/khoGY0o0yT
— CPEC Official (@CPEC_Official) April 18, 2022
Haque concluded that “The iron-clad friendship between China and Pakistan has been tested and is timeless. There is a complete national consensus in Pakistan on the significance of this relationship regardless of the change in government or leadership.
Haque’s comments come on the back of the transition of leadership in Islamabad. Shebaz Sharif, president of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), became Pakistan’s newly elected as the country’s 23rd PM last week via a vote in the National Assembly (NA) to replace Imran Khan, who was ousted via a no-confidence motion on April 10 after his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lost its the majority in the 342-member NA.
During his inaugural address, Sharif said that no one should doubt China’s role as a stable ally of Pakistan in good and bad times. He hailed the unchanging nature of their bilateral ties and lauded Beijing for consistently backing Islamabad at international forums.
#Pakistan Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed has said that the country's PM @CMShehbaz will take the #CPEC forward with new vigour & vitality, & in a rejuvenated manner, ensuring multifaceted development of the flagship project of the Belt & Road Initiative, Express Tribune reported. pic.twitter.com/VOqNzdVO5R
— IANS (@ians_india) April 18, 2022
The new leader also pledged that his government will speedily pave the way for the development of the CPEC, the centrepiece project of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s BRI. However, he did not indicate whether there will be any change in Pakistan’s refusal to bring up the issue of the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region, a policy that has been kept in place by various administrations in Islamabad over the years.
Reciprocating Sharif’s optimism during the transition of government, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said during his regular press conference last Monday that Beijing had “noted the political change in Pakistan” and remains “a close neighbour and an iron-clad friend of Pakistan.” “I want to stress that no matter how the political situation may change in Pakistan, China will unswervingly follow the Pakistan policy of friendship. We believe the political change in Pakistan will not affect the overall China-Pakistan relations,” Zhao asserted.
Looking forward, Zhao stressed that Beijing and Islamabad will remain “all-weather strategic cooperative partners with rock-solid and unbreakable relations” and that the Xi Jinping government will continue “to carry on the traditional friendship, deepen cooperation, and build a high-quality China-Pakistan Economic Corridor together” to establish even closer relations.