Xi, Zardari agree to enhance cooperation to counter militant attacks on Chinese workers in Pakistan

Beijing, Feb 5 (PTI) China and Pakistan have agreed to enhance intelligence sharing and security cooperation to deal with recurring militant attacks against Chinese personnel working in the CPEC projects as President Xi Jinping held talks with his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari here on Wednesday.

While Xi met Zardari, who is on five-day visit to China, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Chinese counterpart Qi Yanjun held lengthy talks to deal with the attacks by Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and hardline Islamic militant groups which are opposed to the USD 60 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

India too has conveyed its opposition to the CPEC as it is being laid through the Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK).

The CPEC connecting China’s Xinjiang with Pakistan’s Gwadar port was hailed as a game changer by Pakistani leaders but the project has also resulted in tensions between the two countries as Beijing is increasingly concerned about the recurring attacks on hundreds of Chinese working on CPEC projects.

The interaction between Naqvi and his Chinese counterpart lasted two hours and came in the backdrop of attacks on Chinese personnel working in Pakistan that have angered China, which has pushed the federal government to begin formal negotiations for a joint security management system, Pakistan media reports said.

Pakistan is reportedly averse to Chinese boots on the ground as it could have negative fallout in the country.

Additionally, Naqvi and Qi have agreed to strengthen collaboration between the National Police Academy and enhance cooperation between Beijing and Islamabad police forces, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.

In his meeting with Zardari here, Xi said China and Pakistan have provided “firm political support” for each other and enjoyed an “ironclad” friendship.

Xi said 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 and advanced the construction of the CPEC and cooperation in various fields, he said.

On Tuesday, Zardari 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 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. PTI KJV GSP GSP

Source: PTI