BEIJING, June 19: Pakistan has made significant efforts to curb the menace of terrorism and extremism and President Pervez Musharraf’s policies have proved very effective in this regard, a Chinese official said here.

China and Pakistan have been working together to ensure peace in the region, spokesman for China’s ministry of foreign affairs Qin Gang said. “The two countries have conducted joint anti-terror drills and have also concluded an accord for elimination of terrorism, separatism and extremism,” Mr Qin said.

In an interview with an English newspaper, he said after 9/11 Pakistan had done a lot to combat terrorism and that both Pakistan and China were now benefiting from each other’s skills and abilities to root out the three evils through joint efforts.

To a question, the spokesman said China was glad to see the ongoing peace process between Pakistan and India and the efforts of the leaderships of both the countries to resolve disputes through dialogue. Beijing had always desired a lasting peace in South Asia and kept playing its due role for the same, he added.

About the Sino-Pak friendship, Qin Gang stated that China takes immense pride in its exemplary ties with Pakistan. “Our top leadership is in regular contact to maintain the depth of their traditional historical bonds,” he said. “People from both the countries were the real strength behind this friendship.”

Both countries are actively engaged exploring new avenues of bilateral cooperation, particularly to boost up their trade and business relations.

The spokesman said their government-to-government level ties had always been encouraging, but the new emerging economy of Pakistan had really come up as a great incentive, enhancing cooperation among the private sector. “We are motivating the private sector and encouraging it to take full advantage of the investment-friendly environment in Pakistan,” he added.

To a question about China’s stance on expanding the Security Council, the spokesman said that China was in favour of overall reforms of the United Nations. But, he said, the reforms should not be merely Security Council specific. “If there are to be some reforms, these must be broad-based and across the board, so that developing countries can also get maximum representation.”

The interview was conducted by Makhdoom Babar, editor-in-chief of The Daily Mail. Mr Babar told APP that the Chinese foreign ministry assured him of its maximum cooperation to strengthen their contacts at the media level. This, he said, is imperative to present political and socio-economic developments in the region to the world in their true perspective. —APP