China ready to further strengthen security cooperation with Pakistan, says envoy

Ambassador Zaidong urges Islamabad to take all measures to ensure protection of Chinese citizens

ISLAMABAD:

 Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong has said that his country stands ready to further strengthen counterterrorism and security cooperation with Pakistan.

The statement comes after the tragic incident of March 26, wherein six individuals, including five Chinese engineers, lost their lives in a suicide attack in Bisham, a remote area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

During the attack, an explosive-laden vehicle detonated as a convoy, transporting Chinese engineers to the Dasu hydroelectric project site from Islamabad, passed by.

This marked the second assault on Chinese workers at the Dasu project, following a similar terrorist attack in July 2021 that claimed the lives of 13 individuals, including nine engineers.

“We should take the people’s security as the ultimate goal, and effectively protect Chinese citizens in Pakistan. The people are the foundation of a country, and are also what the rule of a country is for,” the Chinese ambassador said.

He said that the national security work is ultimately to protect the interests of the people and enable them to live and work in peace and happiness.

“President Xi Jinping emphasised that we must always put the people first, put the life first, and ensure the life and security of the people. A holistic approach to national security takes the people’s position as the fundamental position, and emphasises that national security is for the people and relies on the people, which clearly reflects President Xi Jinping’s deep feelings for the people,” he added.

Ambassador Zaidong said that Chinese citizens in Pakistan actively participate in Pakistan’s national construction and promote China-Pakistan friendly cooperation. “We should do everything possible to protect their safety and value their contributions.”

He said that it was heart-wrenching that in the recent terrorist attack on 26th March, five Chinese citizens were deprived of their young lives.

“We hope and believe that the Pakistani side will speed up the investigation of the incident, find out the truth, severely punish the perpetrators, raise counterterrorism efforts, resolutely crack down on and root out the evil, and take all measures to protect the safety and security of Chinese personnel, institutions and projects in Pakistan, and create favourable conditions for advancing China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperation and building a China-Pakistan community with a shared future,” he added.

The Chinese ambassador said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as an important signature project under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, has effectively promoted Pakistan’s economic and social development since its launching 10 years ago, by bringing in 25.4 billion dollars of direct investment, 236 thousand jobs, 510 KM expressway, more than 8,000 megawatt of power and 886 KM core power transmission grid.

“It is now entering the new phase of building a corridor of growth, livelihood, innovation, greenness and openness. The 26th March terrorist attack showed once again that a secure and stable environment is critical to the practical cooperation between China and Pakistan and the building of CPEC,” he added.
He said that China stands ready to work hand-in-hand with Pakistan to defeat the evil attempt at disrupting the cooperation between the two countries, to safeguard development with security to promote security with development, and to advance high-quality CPEC cooperation.

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“We should take the promotion of international security as a support, and further enhance China-Pakistan counterterrorism and security cooperation. While one chopstick is easy to break, a bunch of chopsticks are much more resilient. Faced with the chaotic international security situation, interwoven traditional and non-traditional security threats, and an ever-increasing number of terrorist attacks, all countries need to work together in addressing various security challenges for win-win results.”

Bonded by mountains and rivers, the Chinese ambassador said that China and Pakistan are closely linked in security interests. “We stand ready to work with Pakistan in jointly implementing the Global Security Initiative and building a peaceful and secure homeland. Moreover, the 26th March terrorist attack also showed how violence and terrorism are challenging the bottom line of human civilisation. We must take resolute actions to crackdown on them.

China stands ready to further strengthen counter-terrorism and security cooperation with Pakistan, to maintain high pressure and rigorous operation, so as to decisively strike the rampant terrorism, effectively safeguard the lives and interests of our two peoples and jointly maintain regional peace and security as well as international fairness and justice,” he added.

He said that the strategic significance of China-Pakistan relations has become even more prominent. “Focusing on the new phase of our bilateral ties, we will stick to the guidance of the important consensus between President Xi Jinping and Pakistan’s national leaders, carry forward our traditional friendship, strengthen exchanges and cooperation in various fields, jointly build an upgraded version of CPEC, continuously deepen the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, stand shoulder-to-shoulder in facing global changes, and build an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era,” he added.

In this significant process, he said that China stands ready to implement a holistic approach to national security together with Pakistan, to promote the Global Security Initiative for tangible results, and to write a chapter on security in building the China-Pakistan community with a shared future, so as to safeguard the common interests and benefit the two peoples during the centennial changes.