Growing Pakistan-China ties not against any country: Aziz

Islamabad, Nov 19  The growing China-Pakistan ties are not against any other country and the latter has been simultaneously promoting relations with all major regional and world powers, Pakistan's adviser on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz has said.

"Cooperation between Pakistan and China is focused on economic development through connectivity and is not against any other country. Pakistan seeks to establish and sustain long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationships with global and regional players in Asia," Aziz said on Wednesday. 

Pakistan has been China’s longstanding strategic ally in the region. The two countries have recently made great strides in deepening this cooperation, Dawn online reported on Thursday. 

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor launched in April this year during Chinese President Xi’s visit is being seen as the launching pad for the next phase of Sino-Pak relations.

According to report, India has been vocally opposing the CPEC project.

He regretted that "some countries" were trying to cause a distraction in the implementation of CPEC.

"India’s loud objections to CPEC and its attempts to gain support of elements hostile to Pakistan in the region are ill-advised," he observed.

"Pakistan has the distinction of forging and maintaining strategic dialogue with both the US and China. We have vibrant and robust relations with another power in the region, i.e. Russia. From Pakistan's perspective, China together with the US and Russia, are important pillars in the newly emerging economic and security order of the region," the report quoted Aziz as saying. 

About normalisation of ties with India, Aziz said Pakistan continued to support normalisation, but such a thing should be done with "respect and dignity". He also asked India to reciprocate Pakistan’s peace gestures.