China assures Pakistan of closer economic ties, support on efforts to defend 'territorial integrity'

China seeks stronger economic ties with Pakistan under the Belt and Road Initiative, and supports its efforts to defend "territorial integrity", a senior Chinese diplomat has said.

Foreign vice-minister Sun Weidong made the pledge during a visit to Pakistan days after it engaged in deadly tit-for-tat air strikes along the border with Iran.

Sun arrived in Islamabad on Saturday to attend a working group meeting on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a centrepiece of Beijing's belt and road cooperation with the neighbouring country.

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His three-day trip also included a series of talks with top Pakistani leaders and military chiefs, including President Arif Alvi, caretaker prime minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar and caretaker foreign minister Jalil Abbas Jilani. Pakistan is scheduled to hold general elections early next month.

Meeting Alvi on Monday, Sun said Beijing supported Islamabad in its defence of "sovereignty, independence, and territory integrity", in what was a clear reference to the cross-border military assaults last week.

Later the same day, Sun told army chief General Syed Asim Munir that he acknowledged Pakistan's efforts to promote regional peace and stability. He also travelled to Rawalpindi for talks with General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, chairman of Pakistan's joint chiefs of staff committee.

The Pakistani army said the talks covered bilateral security, defence cooperation, and the "regional and international security environment".

Pakistan on Thursday carried out missile strikes in Iran's border areas, two days after Tehran staged its own cross-border air raid. Both sides said they were targeting separatist militant groups. The deadly attacks sparked fears of a wider spillover of the conflict in the Middle East and sparked a diplomatic stand-off between the neighbours.

But tensions have since eased, with full diplomatic ties resuming on Monday. Tehran also said Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian would visit Pakistan next week at Islamabad's invitation.

Ma Zhaoxu, another Chinese foreign vice-minister, held a phone call with Iranian deputy foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani on Sunday. They exchanged "views on bilateral relations, and regional and international issues of mutual interest and concern", a statement from Beijing said, but did not reveal details.

Asked whether Beijing was playing mediator - given Ma's phone call and Sun's Pakistan trip - Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Monday said China maintained "close connections" with both countries, and was willing to continue to play a "positive and constructive role in improving the relationship" between them.

As China's "iron brother", a term indicative of their "all-weather strategic partnership", Pakistan shares a close military connection with its more powerful neighbour and is the largest buyer of Chinese weapons.

During talks with Alvi, Sun also voiced support for Pakistan in promoting "stability, development and prosperity", while pledging to create an "upgraded version" of the CPEC, according to the Chinese ministry.

The more than US$50 billion flagship corridor is part of Beijing's efforts to connect its landlocked western Xinjiang region to the Arabian Sea through Pakistan's Gwadar port in Balochistan province - targeted by Iran in its January 16 raid.

The most high-profile belt and road plans in Pakistan revolve around the CPEC, which involves dozens of infrastructure projects, including Gwadar.

On Sunday, Sun co-chaired the fourth round of a high-profile meeting to review the CPEC, alongside the foreign secretary of Pakistan, Mohammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi. Previous meetings of the CPEC Joint Working Group on International Cooperation and Coordination were held in 2019, 2020 and 2022.

Sun and Qazi pledged to focus on information technology, science and technology, and agriculture for future development of the CPEC, Pakistan's foreign ministry said.

The two countries also "rejected the disinformation campaigns and distorted reporting" on the CPEC, and pledged to "counter fallacious narratives and misinformation".

Gwadar port is one of many CPEC projects in Pakistan's largest but poorest region of Balochistan, bordering Afghanistan and Iran. The ethnic minority Baloch there have protested against China's infrastructure plans and carried out deadly attacks against Chinese projects and personnel.

With the CPEC project at the centre of Islamabad's conflict with Baloch separatists, Beijing has become increasingly worried about the security situation there.

Last year, China reportedly cited security concerns in turning down Pakistan's call to invest in new CPEC projects related to energy, climate change, electricity transmission lines and tourism.

Calling on caretaker foreign minister Jilani in Islamabad on Monday, Sun emphasised Pakistan's role as an "iron brother and reliable friend", and an important part of China's foreign policy.

Jilani emphasised the significance of the CPEC for Pakistan and thanked China for its support, while pledging that Pakistan would continue to strive to realise the corridor's full potential for shared benefits.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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