Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan’s relationship with China won’t change regardless of whatever pressure comes from the United States or other Western powers.
The statement comes amid continuing trade war between the two superpowers that has seen forging of new regional alliances.
The region has been witnessing a “strange great power rivalry”, PM Khan told Chinese journalists in an interview Thursday.
“I don’t need to say, it’s public knowledge that the way China and the United States are looking at each other,” he said.
“So it creates problems because what United States is doing is it’s formed this regional alliance called the Quad, which is US, India and you know a couple of other countries.”
Pakistan thinks that it’s very unfair for countries like itself to take sides for the US or other Western powers, the prime minister said.
“Why do have to take sides,” he asked, before saying that they should have a good relationship with everyone.
“And, you know, it’s not going to happen that if there’s pressure put on Pakistan to change or downgrade its relationship with China, it won’t happen,” PM Khan asserted.
The relationship between Pakistan and China is very deep, he said, adding that it’s not just between the governments but it’s a people-to-people relationship.
“Whatever will happen, our relationship between the two countries, no matter what pressure is put on us, is not going to change,” the prime minister said.
Pakistan probably has the deepest and strongest relationship with China, he said.
However, PM Khan said, the cultural interactions between the two countries weren’t as good as their political relationship.
“The idea of this meeting today is basically to improve this interaction,” he said, as he congratulated the Chinese leadership on the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China.
The Pakistan premier praised President Xi Jinping for his commitment to fight corruption and the way he steered 700 million people out of poverty in the last six, seven years.
“I don’t think there is any precedent in history of a society achieving these great goals,” he said.
“We in Pakistan are committed to strengthen our relationship with China, politically as well as in terms of economy and trade.”
PM Khan said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a flagship programme of China’s Belt & Road initiative. “For Pakistan, it is a programme that gives us greatest optimism and hope for our future economic development.”
He lauded the Chinese leadership and put it above the American leader in terms of statecraft, public welfare and other things.
“Look at the American president, he does not go through that sort of rigorous training for leadership like President Xi Jinping and Premier Li,” the Pakistan premier said.
“The way they worked themselves up and the experience they got all the way….when they get to the top they are experienced, they completely understand the system, they understand how people live at the bottom, and which is why they have been able to create this wonder of bringing so many millions of people out of poverty.”
He said this is something quite unique about China. “You do not see that in any other democratic system.”
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