On January 17, 2023, Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong met with Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque.

Sun Weidong said that the China-Pakistan friendship has withstood various tests and grown stronger as time goes by. President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Pakistan in 2015 has become a milestone in the history of bilateral relations. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s successful visit to China last November and his meeting with President Xi Jinping have provided new guidance for the development of bilateral relations. China is ready to work with Pakistan to follow through on the important common understanding reached between the leaders of the two countries, and take bilateral relations to a higher level.

In the new year, the two sides should further deepen the institutional exchanges between their corresponding departments, and take the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative as an opportunity to improve the quality and efficiency of the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), expand cooperation in various fields, and strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation. The Pakistani side stressed that it will continue to take practical and effective measures to combat terrorism and protect the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions in Pakistan. China appreciates that.

Haque wishes the Chinese people a happy Chinese New Year and thanks China for its long-term support to Pakistan, noting that President Xi Jinping’s historic visit to Pakistan in 2015 opened up a new chapter for bilateral relations. Pakistan is ready to work with China to implement the common understanding reached between the leaders of the two countries and the outcomes of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China at the end of last year, strengthen high-level exchanges and strategic communication, and accelerate the key projects of the CPEC as well as economic, trade, industrial and cultural cooperation. The Pakistani side attaches great importance to the safety of the Chinese personnel, institutions and projects in Pakistan and will spare no effort to protect them.