Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
28-04-2023
Bureau Report + Agencies
BEIJING/ ISLAMABAD: China says it will work with Pakistan’s military to “further deepen and expand” the two nations’ mutual interests and jointly protect regional peace and stability.
A statement by the Chinese defence ministry on Wednesday said Zhang Youxia, the vice chairman of China’s 
Central Military Commission, made the comments during his meeting with Pakistan’s army chief, General Syed Asim Munir, who is on his maiden visit to Beijing.
“Noting that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and close friends, Zhang said that no matter how the international situation changes, China always gives Pakistan priority in its neighborhood diplomacy,” said the statement.
Another statement released by the Pakistan army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said Munir was given a warm welcome and presented with a guard of honor upon his arrival at the People’s Liberation Army headquarters in Beijing on Wednesday.
“Matters of mutual security interests and military cooperation were discussed. Both military commanders reiterated the need for maintaining peace and stability in the region and enhancing military to military cooperation,” the Pakistani statement said.
The ISPR said Munir will hold further meetings with military officials in China to enhance the “longstanding relations between the two militaries” during his four-day visit.
Muhammad Faisal, an Islamabad-based foreign policy analyst and close observer of Pakistan-China ties, told media.
“Of late, Pakistan’s dependency on China for economic stability and regional security coordination has grown in the face of financial challenges, renewed threat of terrorism and India-centric challenges,” he said.
Pakistan and China have ongoing border disputes with India, threatening regional security.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif making a trip to Beijing and meeting President Xi Jinping.
China has invested $60bn in the ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project and is Pakistan’s key economic and defence partner.
The South Asian country owes nearly $30bn, 23 percent of its total debt to China.
As Islamabad struggles to resume a much-needed $1.1bn loan program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), it has sought help from its allies, mainly China, to roll over some of its existing loans.
Analyst Faisal said while the Pakistani military remains engaged with China on regional security, economy has 
also taken over as a central agenda in the meetings between the military commanders of the two nations.
“This is a new development and indicates that Chinese military is closely following Pakistan’s economic challenges,” he told media.
As China continues to help Pakistan economically, the last few years saw multiple attacks on Chinese nationals and facilities carried out by the armed groups in Pakistan.
Earlier this month, a Chinese national working at a hydropower plant being constructed by a Chinese company in northern Pakistan was accused of blasphemy, a sensitive issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan.
The Chinese man is currently in a two-week judicial custody which ends on May 2.
Two years ago, 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals working at the same hydropower project, were killed in an attack claimed by the Pakistan Taliban, known by the acronym TTP.
