China is ready to boost cooperation and promote solidarity with Pakistan but has urged it to ensure the protection of Chinese organizations and personnel working there, the Chinese foreign ministry said, citing President Xi Jinping.
Beijing is a major ally and investor in Pakistan but both separatist and Islamist militants have attacked Chinese projects over recent years, killing Chinese personnel.
On Thursday evening, Xi met Anwar ul Haq Kakar, Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister, who is in Beijing this week for a forum on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Xi said both nations should pursue an “upgraded version” of a China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, improving cooperation in industrial parks, agriculture and mining, and new energy, as well as early implementation of major connectivity projects.
At the same time, he called for security for Chinese interests.
The ministry quoted Xi as telling Kakar, “We hope the Pakistani side will guarantee the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel in Pakistan.”
Kakar said on Wednesday Pakistan had completed more than 50 projects worth $25 billion under the CPEC, a flagship project under China’s BRI with more than $65 billion pledged for road, rail, and other infrastructure developments.
Xi said Beijing was open to buttressing cooperation within the UN and Shanghai Cooperation Organization framework and safeguarding the interests of developing countries.
China also greeted more high-quality agricultural imports from Pakistan, the ministry said in a statement late on Thursday.
Separatist insurgents in Pakistan’s resource-rich Baluchistan province say China has dismissed warnings not to enter agreements with the Pakistani government. China has also warned of the danger of militants in Pakistan.
