FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Chinese envoy discuss COVID-19 and CPEC

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – Yao Jing, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Pakistan, called on Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood was also present. During the meeting, Pakistan-Chinabilateral relations, fight against COVID-19, CPEC and other issues of mutual interest were discussed. The minister thanked China for extending support to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Global Initiative for Debt Relief at the recently-held G-20 meeting. He underscored that Pakistan and China are All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partners and have preserved the finer tradition of standing by each other during thick and thin. FM Qureshi particularly thanked the government and people of China for extending solidarity and moral and material support to Pakistan in the wake of outbreak of COVID-19. He underscored that the large amounts of PPE’s and medical equipment sent by Beijing have significantly strengthened our capacity to control the COVID-19. He also expressed deep gratitude to the Chinese leadership for sending a team of medical experts to Pakistan to assist our health community to contain the pandemic. Shah Mahmoood Qureshi reaffirmed that the CPEC was a transformational project and completion of CPEC projects was number one priority of the government. Both sides wereworking closely to further deepen cooperation during CPEC’s Second Phase which will have far-reaching impact on our industrial, agriculture, health, and socio-economic development sectors, he added. Ambassador Yao Jing said China is Pakistan’s close friend and steadfast partner. Pakistan extended valuable support in China’s fight against outbreak of the virus. He recalled that President Dr ArifAlvi’s visit to Beijing in March 2020 was an expression of tremendous solidarity to the Chinese people and further cemented our ties. China would continue to strengthen Pakistan’s capacity to fight this pandemic. He reiterated that the CPEC was high priority and both countries have maintained momentum of CPEC’s development. Reiterating the consensus reached between the highest leadership of both countries, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Ambassador Yao Jing underlined that the two “iron brothers” would continue to strengthen bilateral cooperation and enhance exchanges between two countries at all levels.