China and Pakistan Strengthen ties, Sign 20 Agreements

Asian Leader Xi Jinping and Pakistani Primary Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif have had talks in Beijing on Saturday, Nov 8, directed at strengthening bilateral political and financial cooperation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif have held talks in Beijing on Saturday, November 8, aimed at strengthening bilateral political and economic cooperation. © Fotobank.ru/Getty Images/ SeongJoon Cho

“China will continue to support Pakistan in developing economy and maintaining stability,” said Xi, who described China and Pakistan as “iron friends” and all-weather partners of strategic cooperation. “‘Iron friends’ in Chinese means trustworthy friends whose friendship is as solid as iron,” Xinhua reported.

In line with the media source, China is preparing to raise the building of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which will connect China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region with the Gwadar Port in southern Pakistan through railways, highways and oil pipelines. The 2 countries also want to intensify collaboration in the vitality sphere and create modern industrial parks across the corridor. The establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank will facilitate the development of the project, the Xinhua emphasized.

During Nawaz Sharif’s stop by at Beijing, significantly more than 20 documents were signed on cooperation in areas such as for example technologies, energy, finance, industrial parks and communications, Xinhua reported. The agreements included “solar powered energy production at Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park, easy loan for laying optic fiber between both countries, mining of 65,00,000 metric a lot of coal in Block-2 of Thar, 870 MW Suki Kinari Hydropower project, 1320 MW coal power project in Sahiwal, and an MoU for 100 MW Jhimpir wind power project,” Daily Times, Pakistani news website, listed.

China’s officials confirmed that Beijing is preparing to assist Islamabad in improving relations with India and Afghanistan. In response, Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif asserted to China’s authorities that Pakistan “will firmly back China’s stance on all major issues, especially on those involving China’s core interests,” the Xinhua underscored.