ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that China has always been a sincere friend of Pakistan.
In a meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Islamabad on Friday, the prime minister said that friendship with China is the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
The prime minister said that Pakistan is eagerly looking forward to welcoming President Xi Jinping to the country. He said that the government believes this important visit would further strengthen the all-weather strategic partnership between the two countries.
Sharif said that Pakistan attaches high importance to the China-Pakistan economic corridor and expressed the confidence that president Xi’s expected visit would help fast-tracking implementation of projects under this corridor.
Nawaz Sharif said that security of Chinese nationals working in Pakistan is a matter of high priority for Pakistan and special arrangements are being made for this purpose.
The Chinese foreign minister informed the prime minister that the purpose of his visit was to do preparatory work for the visit of President Xi Jinping this year.
Wang Yi said that China appreciates the importance Pakistan attaches to the friendship with China. He said that Pakistan and China are brothers and frequent bilateral exchanges have further strengthened this relationship.
The meeting was also attended by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry.
The Chinese foreign minister accompanied by an eight-member delegation arrived in Islamabad on a two-day official visit on Thursday.
