Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday that the world is caught between profound changes unseen in a century and the once-in-a-century COVID-19 pandemic, but no matter how the world situation changes, China-Pakistan friendly cooperation will move forward firmly.
Wang made the remarks in a telephone conversation with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
The time-tested and rock-solid friendship between China and Pakistan has become the most precious strategic asset of both sides, he said.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Pakistan, and the two sides should coordinate to make celebration plans so as to lift the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership to a new level, Wang said.
He noted that the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a focal point for building a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future, has entered a new stage of high-quality development.
China, Wang said, supports the early holding of the 10th CPEC Joint Cooperation Committee meeting to inject new impetus into China-Pakistan practical cooperation.
Meanwhile, he said fighting the pandemic is a top priority for the international community.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly said that the Chinese COVID-19 vaccines, once developed and put into use, will be global public goods, Wang recalled.
China has not only made promises, but also taken concrete actions to fulfill them by vigorously promoting vaccine cooperation with other countries, in particular, offering assistance and support to developing countries, Wang said.
Noting that Pakistan is China's all-weather strategic cooperative partner, the Chinese foreign minister said that the two sides enjoy a fine tradition of supporting and helping each other.
When one side is in trouble, the other side will always lend a helping hand without hesitation, he added.
The Chinese government, Wang noted, has decided to assist the Pakistani side on vaccine and actively coordinated with Chinese enterprises to accelerate the export of vaccines to Pakistan.
On behalf of the Pakistani government and people, Qureshi expressed gratitude to the Chinese government for its decision to provide vaccine aid and procurement facilitation to Pakistan.
He said Pakistan has approved a vaccine by China's Sinopharm for emergency use and will actively consider granting market access to other China-developed vaccines.
Qureshi also suggested the two sides strengthen communication to ensure successful celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the bilateral ties and hold the 10th CPEC Joint Cooperation Committee meeting at an early date, so as to push for greater progress in bilateral relations.
