Pakistan, China FMs to meet soon amid regional tension

In a telephone call, Qureshi, Wang discuss bilateral, regional, and international issues

ISLAMABAD:

As tensions deepened between Pakistan and India on the one hand and China and India on the other, Islamabad and Beijing have decided to arrange a face-to-face meeting of their foreign ministers to discuss the evolving situation.

The decision was taken during a telephonic conversation between Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday, a statement issued by the Foreign Office said.

It is not clear whether Foreign Minister Qureshi would visit Beijing or his Chinese counterpart would travel to Islamabad. Official sources said that these details would be worked out through diplomatic channels.

The development came against the backdrop of a series of developments in the region, including the recent attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) in Karachi. The attack was not seen as undermining Pakistan’s interests but also believed to be aimed at targeting the Chinese investment in the country.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said he had “no doubt” that India was behind the PSX terrorist attack, which was foiled by security agencies with their timely action.

The Foreign Office readout said that Qureshi emphasised that the recent attack at Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi was supported by anti-Pakistan elements seeking to undermine Pakistan’s economic development and stability.

Qureshi underscored that the regional security situation was deteriorating and underlined that India’s belligerent posture and expansionist policies were imperilling peace in the region. Apart from committing egregious violations of human rights in IOJ&K, India was seeking to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory.

The foreign minister also briefed his Chinese counterpart about the repeated violations committed by India across the LoC as well as targeted killing of the civilians. In the face of Indian provocations, Pakistan was exercising restraint, Qureshi added.

Foreign Minister Qureshi underscored that disputes in the region should be resolved through peaceful means and agreed mechanisms rather than resorting to unilateral, illegal and coercive measures reflected in India’s decision of August 5, 2019.

China is also opposed to the abrogation of Article 370 by India last year, calling it as an attack on its sovereignty. Many observers believe that the on-going military standoff between India and China is linked with New Delhi’s Kashmir decision in August last year.

The Indian and Chinese troops have locked horns in the high altitude Ladakh region since early May when scuffle broke out between the two soldiers. The standoff led to a bloody clash on June 15 in which 20 Indian soldiers, including a colonel-rank officer, were killed.

The telephone contact between the two foreign ministers came as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited Ladakh and addressed troops there, suggesting that tensions still persist in the region.

Although, the Foreign Office statement did not say, the two foreign ministers did discuss all these developments. “During the telephone conversation bilateral, regional, and international issues were discussed,” read the Foreign Office statement.

Qureshi underscored that Pakistan and China were ‘all-weather strategic cooperative partners’ and had preserved the fine tradition of expressing solidarity, mutual assistance and mutual support to each other in the face of common challenges.

He reiterated that Pakistan remained committed to ‘One-China policy’ and firmly supported Beijing on its core interests, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet, and Xinjiang.

State Councillor Wang Yi briefed Foreign Minister Qureshi about the regional situation. He lauded Pakistan’s sincere and relentless efforts to promote peace and stability in the region and thanked Pakistan for the support it had extended to China during difficult and challenging times.

Both sides also reaffirmed their resolve to support each other at the multilateral institutions and hoped that those institutions would foster a spirit of objectivity and coherence in advancing their goals.

The two foreign ministers expressed determination to promote peace and development in Afghanistan. It was hoped that the next meeting of China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers Dialogue would take place at the earliest to facilitate peace and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan.

Both sides reaffirmed their resolve to take measures aimed at earliest possible economic recovery in the aftermath of Covid-19. Qureshi underlined that BRI and CPEC would become the hub of trade and economic activity, sustainable development and greater people-to-people exchanges.

Pakistan and China are taking relevant measures which will help timely completion of CPEC projects. Wang underscored that CPEC was a flagship project of BRI and that the second phase of CPEC would complement Pakistan’s efforts aimed at job creation, enhancing agricultural productivity, reducing poverty, and massive economic recovery.

Wang emphasised that, in the aftermath of Covid-19, Beijing was taking swift, practical, and demonstrable measures to promote economic recovery in the region. He thanked Pakistan for supporting Beijing’s idea of ‘Health Silk Road’ which, he believed, would play a major role in addressing the region’s social and economic needs.

Both sides resolved to implement consensus reached by the leadership of the two countries to deepen strategic consultation and coordination at all levels so as to collectively promote shared goals of peace and stability. They decided to have face-to-face meeting soon to discuss challenges confronted by the region, the Foreign Office statement said.