China and Pakistan have agreed to strengthen their defence and counter-terrorism cooperation in the face of ‘difficult times,’ as Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa met with Chinese military authorities to further solidify their all-weather strategic alliance. On Sunday, General Bajwa met with a Chinese delegation led by Vice Chairman Central Military Commission General Zhang Youxia in Qingdao, the capital city of east China’s Shandong province.
According to a statement issued by the Pakistan Army, the tri-service military team visited China from June 9 to June 12, where it met with top officials from the Chinese military and other government ministries. The Apex Meeting took place on Sunday, with General Bajwa leading the Pakistani delegation and General Zhang leading the Chinese delegation.
According to the statement, both parties reviewed their viewpoints on the world and regional security situation and expressed satisfaction with bilateral defence cooperation. ‘In difficult circumstances, Pakistan and China reaffirmed their strategic cooperation and agreed to continue the frequent exchange of opinions on subjects of common concern. Both sides also pledged to strengthen tri-service training, technology, and counter-terrorism cooperation ‘, it added.
‘China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperating partners,’ said Gen Zhang, stressing that both sides have maintained tight coordination and strongly backed each other on matters pertaining to each other’s basic interests throughout the years. During the meetings, Gen. Zhang stated that China is eager to increase communication, strengthen collaboration, deepen pragmatic exchanges with Pakistan, and correctly deal with the challenging aspects of the regional environment in order to drive military-to-military relations forward.
Both parties strongly denounced the terrorist assault on the Confucius Institute shuttle van at the University of Karachi in Pakistan in April and emphasised that any attempt to undermine the China-Pakistan relationship will fail, according to the statement. On April 26, an explosion detonated by a burqa-clad female suicide bomber from the Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA) smashed into the Confucius Institute vehicle at the famous University of Karachi, killing three Chinese lecturers.
The separatist BLA has said that it opposes Chinese investment in Pakistan’s resource-rich Balochistan province, claiming that locals do not profit. The BLA, like the Pakistani Taliban, has targeted Chinese people on several occasions. China is extensively involved in big infrastructure projects in Pakistan, notably in the Balochistan province. According to Gen Bajwa, the Pakistan-China relationship is strong and rock-solid. Pakistan will always support China, regardless of the world or regional scenario.
He emphasised that Pakistan is ready to strengthen dialogue and coordination with the Chinese military, carry out mutually beneficial cooperation, crack down on terrorist forces, strive to improve both sides’ capabilities in dealing with various security challenges, safeguard the two countries’ common interests, and contribute to regional peace. The visit was part of the Pak-China Joint Military Cooperation Committee (PCJMCC), the top military cooperation organisation in Pakistan.
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