China is not worried about Pakistan ‘flirting’ with US: Khawaja Asif calls Beijing top ally after Shahbaz Sharif meets Trump
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "China is not worried about Pakistan ‘flirting’ with US: Khawaja Asif calls Beijing top ally after Shahbaz Sharif meets Trump")
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif Photograph: (AFP)
The Pakistani defence minister also stated that China is a “reliable” neighbour, with whom Pakistan shares its borders and geography.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that China is not worried about Pakistan “flirting” with the US, adding that the two nations have a time-tested partnership. Asif made the remarks a day after US President Donald Trump hosted Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir at the White House’s Oval Office. US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were also present during the meeting.
During an interview with British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan, Asif was asked about Pakistan’s ties with China and the US. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Pakistan has sourced about 80 per cent of its weapons from China over the last four years.
Asif was questioned whether Pakistan’s close relationship with Trump through minerals deals, crypto deals, and others could jeopardise its partnership with China. To this, Asif responded by saying, “We are not worried about that, because it’s a time-tested relationship with China since the late 50s... I’ll just conclude it by saying that China is not worried about our flirtations or whatever you call it.”
Asif was also asked with whom does Pakistan sees its “strategic future,” the US or China, to which he replied, “In the past, even today and in future also China has been a very reliable ally, very reliable provider of arms of all kinds to us. Our Air Force, submarines, and planes. Our submarines are from there. Almost a major portion of our arms are from China, and our defence cooperation is increasing. It is much more robust than before, with China... the main reason is unreliability of other sources like the United States of America.”
The Pakistani defence minister also stated that China is a “reliable” neighbour, with whom Pakistan shares its borders and geography.
Speaking about Pakistan’s relationship with the US, Asif said, “We have had a transactional or a flirtatious relationship with the United States for a very long time.” Despite this, he added that China was and will continue to be Pakistan’s top ally. “They’re reliable, and they are our neighbours,” he said.
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The interview also covered wide-ranging topics, including the Saudi-Pakistan Defence Pact and the imprisonment of former PM Imran Khan.
