The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, has spoken with his Chinese counterpart, Li Qiang, for the first time since Li Qiang took office.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang on Thursday, marking the first time the two leaders have spoken since Li Qiang entered office in China a month ago.
According to a statement released by his office, Shehbaz thanked Li and reaffirmed Pakistan’s “unstinting” support for Beijing’s “one-China” policy and attitude on Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and the South China Sea.
He continued, saying that Pakistan was certain China will continue to make progress on its path to modernization and rejuvenation because “as all-weather partners and close friends, Pakistan appreciated China’s peaceful development as a positive factor of international peace and stability.”
The Chinese leader was praised by his Pakistani counterpart for taking a “principled position” on the contentious Jammu and Kashmir issue.
While Li “praised Pakistan’s support for China,” he also “reaffirmed his country’s continuing support to Pakistan’s national development, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”
The Chinese premier vowed that China would always support Pakistan.
Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and often expresses disapproval of summits between Taiwanese and other world leaders.
Taipei, on the other hand, has maintained its independence since 1949 and now has diplomatic ties with 13 countries.
After President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan met with Speaker Kevin McCarthy of the United States House of Representatives in Los Angeles, China subsequently conducted military drills in the region surrounding Taiwan.
Taiwan’s National Security Bureau Director Tsai Ming-yen told lawmakers on Wednesday that the island nation had “upgraded its computers to exchange real-time intelligence with the ‘Five Eyes’ alliance of the US, Canada, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand.”
China has provided Pakistan with financial aid as well as political and military support in the form of loan renewals and approvals of new financial packages.
Low foreign reserves and high inflation have put a significant strain on Pakistan.
The two leaders have been in touch since Pakistani Army Chief of Staff General Asim Munir is currently in China for the first time since he assumed charge in November of last year. Given recent significant geostrategic changes in the region and beyond, experts have called the visit essential.
Diplomats from the West in Islamabad are keeping a careful eye on the army chief’s trip to China because it will decide Pakistan’s future strategy in light of the increasing conflict between Beijing and Washington.
Pakistan has tried to strike a middle ground in its relations with the major nations, but many analysts believe it will eventually have to pick a side.
Former Board of Investment chairman Haroon Sharif, who has previous experience working with the Chinese, believes that Pakistan cannot afford to cut ties with China due to the $30 billion in bilateral debt and prospective stakes.
Sharif claims that the United States has come to this conclusion after using the IMF program as leverage over Pakistan.
However, China is reportedly worried about the safety of its citizens in Pakistan and the financial stability of Chinese-run power plants, so it is unlikely to provide financial aid to Pakistan for free.
Furthermore, China is anxious about the rising political unrest in Pakistan.
