Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Afghanistan’s interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and agreed to extend the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan.
On Monday, Deputy PM Dar arrived in China’s capital of Beijing on a three-day official visit at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Yi amid regional tensions. The trilateral forum was established in 2017, with earlier meetings held in Beijing and the Afghan capital.
China said on Tuesday that it supports Pakistan in defending “national sovereignty and territorial integrity”, after a ceasefire ended four days of fighting with India over a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir.
“Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar Member of the Communist Party of China Political Bureau & Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China Wang Yi, and Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi, held an informal trilateral meeting in Beijing today,” the statement by the Foreign Office (FO) said.
“They agreed to deepen Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation and extend the CPEC to Afghanistan,” the FO added.
The three foreign ministers reaffirmed trilateral cooperation as a vital platform to promote regional security and economic connectivity, the statement continued.
“It was agreed that the 6th Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting will be held in Kabul at an early, mutually convenient date,” according to the FO.
The foreign ministers discussed enhancing diplomatic engagement, strengthening communications, and taking practical steps to boost trade, infrastructure, and development as key drivers of shared prosperity.
The ministers underscored their shared commitment to countering terrorism and fostering stability and development in the region.
Dar posted a photo of himself with his counterparts, saying they stood together for regional peace, stability and development.
He also held a separate meeting with FM Muttaqi in which the two welcomed the positive momentum in bilateral ties, including enhanced diplomatic engagement, trade and transit facilitation.
“They agreed to work together to advance mutual interests, including in the domains of trade, transit, connectivity and security,” the FO said.
Earlier in the month, the Afghan government under the Taliban called for “mutual respect and constructive engagement” with Pakistan and China, according to a statement issued by its interior ministry.
The statement was issued after special envoys of Pakistan and China, Mohammad Sadiq and Yue Xiaoyong, met Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani in Kabul.
On May 15, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar held a telephone conversation with the Acting Afghan FM Muttaqi, marking India’s first minister-level outreach to the Taliban administration in Afghanistan, the Hindu reported.
Air chief lauds China’s role in Pakistan’s defence capabilities
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu has commended China’s role in assisting Pakistan’s defence modernisation and technological advancement, state-owned Radio Pakistan reported.
During a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong, who called on him in Islamabad, the air chief expressed his profound gratitude to China for its continued support and unwavering friendship.
He emphasised that the bond between both countries has only strengthened over the decades and will continue to deepen through future cooperation and partnership.
They held comprehensive and in-depth discussion on a range of matters including corporate-level engagements, defence cooperation and the evolving geostrategic environment in the region.
The dignitaries underscored the importance of cohesive and collaborative approaches in responding to emerging challenges, emphasising the necessity of maintaining peak operational readiness and swift coordination amidst the prevailing regional security dynamics.
They reaffirmed their pledge to institutionalise regular high-level exchanges through expanded joint operational exercises and exploration of multilateral frameworks that bolster collective response mechanisms to emerging threats.
In his remarks, the Chinese ambassador lauded the unmatched operational excellence demonstrated by PAF personnel during the recent standoff on the eastern front, terming it a reflection of PAF’s high standards and unwavering commitment to national defence.
The envoy acknowledged PAF’s operational effectiveness and strategic acumen in employing indigenous solutions and advanced systems to safeguard national interests and deter potential threats under the current leadership.
Reaffirming China’s enduring support, the ambassador assured full technical assistance to PAF in order to bolster its aerial defence capabilities.
He also lauded Pakistan’s commitment to self-reliance and emphasised that PAF’s investment in indigenous processes had begun to yield promising results. He stressed that continued focus on homegrown technological development would further elevate the country’s defence capabilities.
