ISLAMABAD: In a historic address to Pakistan’s parliament on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the two neighbours must stick together to face threats to their existence.

He lauded Pakistan’s role as a frontline state in the war against terrorism and said China would help it strengthen its capabilities.

The 35-minute speech in Chinese, simultaneously interpreted in English and Urdu, was the first by a Chinese president to a joint sitting of the National Assembly and Senate. It followed pledges signed on Monday for Chinese investment worth $45 billion.

Mr Xi, whose address was repeatedly cheered by parliamentarians after they gave him a standing ovation on his arrival, was accompanied by a brief vote of thanks by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and opposition leader Khursheed Ahmed Shah. Earlier, a welcoming speech was delivered by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.

The speeches made copious use of oft-repeated descriptions of the ties between the two countries such as “all-weather friendship”, one “taller than mountains, deeper than oceans, and sweeter than honey”, while the prime minister called the two nations “truly iron brothers”.

Talking about the common challenges facing the two countries, Mr Xi said “we should stick together and jointly face security threats”.

That seemed a reference to militancy in China’s north-western Xinjiang region, to which the PM responded by saying that Pakistan considered China’s security its own security and called for an intensification of joint efforts to eliminate terrorism.

Xi’s roadmap, core issues

In what seemed to be his roadmap for building a more robust strategic partnership between the two countries, Mr Xi said “we should continue to support each other on issues of core interest”, always be “dependable partners” and “advance our shared interests”.

He did not specify the issues of core interest, but PM Sharif responded in his remarks by reiterating Pakistan’s full support to Beijing’s “one-China policy” — meaning non-recognition of Taiwan — and what he called China’s stand on its core national interests.

Both leaders avoided the Kashmir dispute that Islamabad has often cited as one of its core issues.

In a speech to a special session of Senate on Dec 2, 1996, then Chinese president Jiang Zemin made an obvious reference to Kashmir while giving this advice to Pakistan: “If certain issues cannot be resolved for the time being, they may be shelved temporarily so that they will not affect the normal state-to-state relations.”

No such hint was apparently considered proper this time at government level when peace talks between India and Pakistan remain stalled for more than two years, although Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, who chaired the joint sitting along with Senate chairman Raza Rabbani, did mention in his speech the “unresolved issue of Jammu and Kashmir” as one of “major political flashpoints affecting us” along with the continued war on terror and “the deteriorating situation in the Middle East”.

Other points in Mr Xi’s roadmap included the need for both countries to maintain strategic communication on regional and international issues, strengthen friendship and economic relations, enhance high-level exchanges, diverse events by media organisations for the promotion of relations, visits of 100 youths from each country to the other, and China arranging to train 2,000 Pakistani youths in diverse fields in the next five years and 1,000 teaching staff in Chinese language.

South Asia focus

In an apparent reference to moves by new Afghan President Ashraf Ghani for peace talks with Taliban rebels, Mr Xi said China supported Pakistan’s “constructive role in Afghanistan”.

Stating that Pakistan would always have “high priority in our diplomatic agenda”, he said a “peace-loving” China wanted to promote relations with all South Asian nations with its belief in non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs and seeking no hegemony.

A peaceful, stable and prosperous South Asia conforms to China’s interests, he said.

“China is willing to align its development strategies with those of South Asian countries to achieve mutually beneficial development and common prosperity,” he said. “The Chinese side is willing to; within the framework of South-South cooperation, offer assistance and support to South Asian countries within its own capacity.”

He said “good progress” had been made on the planned Pakistan-China Economic Corridor up to Gwadar port and a similar Silk Road project involving Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Assistance for Fata

Mr Xi announced that China would provide assistance for the development and reconstruction of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), the scene of an ongoing military campaign against foreign and local militants based there.

The Chinese president came down from the podium after his address to shake hands with parliamentary leaders and ministers occupying front benches as the speaker announced prorogation of the one-day joint session.

Later, before leaving for Indonesia to attend an Asian-African summit, Mr Xi had a meeting with President Mamnoon Hussain where he was quoted by China’s official Xinhua news agency as saying that his two-day state visit to Pakistan had led him to become even more confident in the future of China-Pakistan relations.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2015

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