China says close ally Pak made ‘tremendous’ efforts, ‘sacrifices’ in fighting terrorism

Beijing, Sep 11: China on Friday staunchly defended Pakistan's record in fighting terrorism, saying its all-weather ally has made "tremendous efforts and sacrifices", countering calls by India and the US that Islamabad must ensure that its territory is not used for terror activities.

India and the US in a joint statement after the 17th meeting of the India-US Counter Terrorism Joint Working Group and the third session of the India-US Designations Dialogue held on September 9-10, denounced the use of terrorist proxies and strongly condemned cross-border terrorism in all its forms.

New Delhi and Washington Islamabad to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of terrorist attacks, including the 26/11 Mumbai strike and the Pathankot airbase attack.

Asked for his reaction, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian during a media briefing here said that terrorism is a common challenge faced by all countries and Pakistan has made "tremendous efforts and sacrifices" in fighting terrorism.

"The international community should fully recognise and respect that. China opposes all kind of terrorism. All countries on the bases of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit engage in anti-terrorism international cooperation to jointly safeguard the international peace and security," he said.

On the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Zhao said that the terror attack brought many challenges to global security.

"Now, the counter-terrorism situation is still severe and has posed risks to all countries," he said.

"China opposes all kind of terrorism and we believe that the UN should play a leading role and we oppose double standards on counter-terrorism and we oppose the attempt to link the terrorism to any specific country," he said.

He emphasised that all countries should work together to prevent and fight terrorism and safeguard world's peace and stability.

"So on this very special day, I would like to say that we hope the US won't forget terrorism and Covid-19 are common enemies to all mankind. And China and Pakistan are not the enemies of the US," he said.

About the meeting between Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow on Thursday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), he said Wang assured that China will continue to provide Pakistan with anti-epidemic support until Pakistan completely overcomes the Covid-19 pandemic.

"China will like to work with Pakistan in advancing the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and further agricultural cooperation, which will deliver benefits to people," Zhao said.

India has objected to the USD 60 billion CPEC as it is being laid through Pakistan- occupied Kashmir (PoK).

"We believe that with the joint efforts of both sides, the corridor will play a greater role in Pakistan's economic development and people's welfare," he said.

China will continue working with Pakistan, firmly supporting each other on international multilateral occasions to uphold international fairness and justice, he said.

"Next year is the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. We will build on our friendship, plan for the future, and make new progress in our bilateral relations," Zhao said.

with PTI inputs