Xi assures China's support for 'all-weather friend' Pak

Noting that China attaches great importance to its ties with Pakistan, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday expressed hope that the two countries could cooperate closely so that their traditional friendship could be passed on from generation to generation.

Xi said his country will continue to support Pakistan's efforts to safeguard its national sovereignty and independence and its efforts to achieve national stability and development.

"The China-Pakistan relations have withstood the test of time and the fluctuations of international situation, and have achieved healthy and steady development over past decades," Xi told his Pakistan counterpart Asif Ali Zardari when he telephoned Chinese president to felicitate him on his formal election.

"Pakistan and China are all-weather friends and that the Pakistani people love China," state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Zardari as saying.

Pakistan would like to maintain its high-level exchanges with China and to strengthen communication and cooperation between the two countries in bilateral and international affairs, he said, adding that Pakistan will continue to firmly support China when needed.

Xi thanked Zardari for his congratulations and said that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperation partners.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 62 years ago, the two countries have been respecting and supporting each other and have carried out comprehensive cooperation, Xi said.

He stressed that China attaches great importance to the China-Pakistan relations, and that it is an established policy of the Chinese government to develop the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.

He hoped that the two countries could cooperate closely to maintain and develop their sound relations so that the traditional friendship between the two sides could be passed on from generation to generation.

Image: Chinese President Xi Jinping

Photograph: Reuters