Islamabad, Pakistan

The visiting Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang warned Pakistan to put aside political disagreements in order to open the door for economic growth while expressing alarm about the South Asian nation's rising instability.

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For the fourth Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue, which was conducted in Islamabad on Saturday, China's Foreign Minister, Qin Gang made his first trip to the nation since being appointed as Beijing's top ambassador.

"We sincerely hope the political forces in Pakistan will build consensus, uphold stability and more effectively address domestic and external challenges so it can focus on growing the economy," Qin said at a press briefing alongside Pakistani FM, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

This came after the closed-door strategic talks held between the two. 

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Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang is in Pakistan for a two-day visit. Earlier, he met Pakistan President Arif Alvi and vowed to strengthen strategic ties between the two nations, including in the fields of connectivity, information technology, and agriculture.

They also pledged to accelerate China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) construction by working together. Alvi stated that the long-standing friendship is the foundation of their cordial ties. Qin attended the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting in Goa on May 4 and 5 in Panaji, Goa where his Pakistan counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was also present.

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In addition to being the Foreign Minister, Qin is also the state Councillor of China. It is a higher rank associated with the Communist Party of China.

According to Alvi, the Pakistani side is extremely grateful to China for helping Pakistan battle COVID-19, carry out post-disaster rehabilitation, and evacuate Pakistanis living abroad from Sudan, which has been severely affected by violence.

The president emphasised that Pakistan fully upholds the one-China policy and supports China on matters pertaining to its vital interests, such as those pertaining to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He said that Pakistan is prepared to collaborate with China for peace and rebuilding in Afghanistan and that it will make every effort to secure the safety of Chinese troops and institutions in Pakistan. This comes as many Chinese nationals have come under attack on Pakistani soil. 

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Qin, for his part, asserted that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperating partners, stressing that governments in the two nations have made strengthening and expanding the bilateral unshakable friendship a top priority.

The Chinese side also supported Pakistan in preserving its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Qin said China is willing to work with Pakistan to implement the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in a variety of fields, jointly fend off external risks and challenges, and steadily advance the China-Pakistan community with a shared future.

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During his Pakistan visit, Qin Gang is due to take part in China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' meeting. The trilateral is being held less than a month after the 'Neighbouring Countries of Afghanistan Plus Afghanistan' Foreign Ministers meeting of China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran in Samarkand, in which Qin presided.

Pakistan's new Army Chief Asim Munir earlier visited China during which he held a series of meetings with top Chinese Generals and top diplomat Wang Yi who is the Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee.

During Gen. Munir's visit, China's new Premier Li Qiang also held his first phone call with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and promised continued financial help for Pakistan which is facing a serious political and economic crisis.

In Pakistan, Qin 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."