Foreign Ministry Spokesperson’s Remarks on State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang’s Visit to Pakistan and the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue in Pakistan
2023-05-04 10:11

Q: Following up on your announcement that State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang will visit Pakistan, can you share the program of the visit and China’s expectation?

A: This will be State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang’s first visit to Pakistan and an important part of the recent close and frequent interactions between the high levels of China and Pakistan. During the visit, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang will meet with the leader of Pakistan and co-chair the fourth round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The two sides will have in-person and in-depth communication on bilateral relations and the international and regional situation.

China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and ironclad friends. The friendship is time honored. Last November, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif paid a successful visit to China, during which the leaders of the two countries charted the course for the bilateral relations. The Prime Ministers of the two countries had a phone call on April 27. China hopes that this visit will follow through on the important common understandings between the leaders of the two countries, further deepen strategic communication and practical cooperation, promote the building of an ever closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, and contribute positive energy to the region and the wider world.

Q: We noted that State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang attended the fourth Foreign Ministers’ Meeting among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan in Samarkand and the “Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan Plus Afghanistan” Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue, and chaired the second Informal Meeting on Afghanistan Between Foreign Ministers of China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran not long ago. Now in less than one month, he will attend the fifth China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue. What is China’s consideration behind this?

A: Although the people of Afghanistan have tided over the most difficult time, they still face severe challenges at the moment and are in dire need of more support and help from the rest of the world. The international community need to step up contact and dialogue with the Afghan interim government, support its effort of reconstruction and development, and encourage it to build an inclusive government, exercise moderate governance, develop friendly relations with its neighbors and firmly fight terrorism.

The Foreign Ministers’ Meeting among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan and the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue are both important platforms for exchanges and cooperation on issues related to Afghanistan and conducive to more consensus among regional countries on the Afghan issue. China hopes to exchange views with Afghanistan and Pakistan on the situation in Afghanistan and tri-party cooperation at the Dialogue, so as to build up consensus, consolidate mutual trust, and jointly contribute to peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region.

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