BEIJING: China has reiterated that Pakistan had made enormous sacrifices for the fight against terrorism and the international community should acknowledge its outstanding contributions to the global cause of counterterrorism.

“As we have previously said Pakistan has made enormous sacrifices for the fight against terrorism and made very outstanding contributions to the global cause of counterterrorism,” spokesperson for Chinese Foreign Ministry Gen Shuang said during his regular briefing here on Tuesday while responding to a question about US President Donald Trump’s statement regarding Pakistan’s role in the fight against terrorism.

He said that the international community should acknowledge the role Pakistan played in the fight against terrorism and the sacrifices it rendered during the antiterrorism campaign.

China, the spokesperson said, was glad to see Pakistan engaged in international cooperation including in counterterrorism on the basis of mutual respect so as to contribute to regional peace and stability.

“China and Pakistan are all-weather partners and we stand ready to promote and deepen our all-round cooperation for bringing benefits to the two sides,” he added.

When asked would this criticism affect cooperation against terrorism in the region, Mr Gen said that foreign ministers of China, Pakistan and Afghanistan recently held a tripartite dialogue in Beijing and agreed to further deepen their coordination and cooperation in the fight against terrorism and indiscriminately combat all terrorist groups and terrorists.

He expressed the confidence that the three countries would continue to push for the cooperation among them in the fight against terrorism.

Dawn.com adds: China’s newly appointed Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing met National Security Adviser Nasser Khan Janjua in Islamabad where Mr Trump’s latest statement came under discussion, Radio Pakistan reported.

Acknowledging Pakistan’s “matchless sacrifices in the war against terror”, the ambassador said China stood firmly with Pakistan in all situations, a Foreign Office (FO) release said.

Reiterating China’s strong commitment to the security and stability of Pakistan, the ambassador said that China considered Pakistan a close friend and a reliable partner for peace and stability in a turbulent region.

He stressed “the need for political reconciliation in Afghanistan and an early closure of the Afghan conflict”, the FO said.

The Chinese ambassador expressed support for the regional and multilateral initiatives for political reconciliation in Afghanistan, including the trilateral process involving China-Afghanistan and Pakistan, it added.

While warmly welcoming Ambassador Yao to his “second home” Pakistan, Mr Janjua expressed disappointment and concern “over the anti-Pakistan tweet emanating from the highest level in Washington”.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2018