Xi meets Pakistani prime minister

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Beijing on Sunday.

"Pakistan is China's all-weather strategic cooperative partner. China and Pakistan are 'iron friends' and have always firmly supported each other on issues concerning each other's core interests," Xi said, adding that China takes Pakistan as a priority in its diplomacy.

No matter how international and regional situations change, China firmly supports Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty and national dignity, choosing its own development path suited to its national conditions, combating terrorist and extremist forces, striving for a sound external security environment, and playing a constructive role in international and regional affairs, Xi said.

Major progress has been made in bilateral cooperation in the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, finance, trade and other aspects, Xi said.

"In the next stage, China and Pakistan should make more efforts to advance the all-weather strategic cooperation," Xi said, calling on both sides to deepen high-level contacts and mutual support, strengthen strategic communication, and promote high-quality cooperation in production capacity, infrastructure construction, people's livelihood and trade within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has played an important role in Pakistan's economic development and the improvement of people's lives, Imran Khan said, believing more and more countries will support and participate in the cooperation under the BRI.

Pakistan is willing to consolidate its traditional friendship with China, deepen pragmatic cooperation, and enhance communication and coordination with China in multilateral affairs, said the prime minister.

The two sides also exchanged views on the situations in South Asia. Xi expressed the hope that Pakistan and India can meet each other halfway and promote the stabilization and improvement of Pakistan-India relations.