Terming Pakistan and China "iron brothers", Prime Minister Imran Khan emphasised on Friday that "no hostile forces would be allowed to undermine the iron-clad friendship" between the two countries.

The premier made the comment during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong in Islamabad in which they discussed bilateral relations, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), coronavirus vaccines as well as mutual cooperation in other sectors.

In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said that the envoy conveyed felicitations on Pakistan's Independence Day and greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.

For his part, Prime Minister Imran "warmly reciprocated" the greetings from the Chinese leaders, the PMO said.

He also appreciated China's "consistent support" to Pakistan in the country's fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and provision of vaccines, including under the Covax facility.

Pakistan's vaccination campaign against the coronavirus had been launched earlier this year after China donated 500,000 doses of Sinopharm's Covid-19 vaccine. Since then, Pakistan has received millions of vaccine doses from China in the form of donations as well as purchases.

Earlier this week, the Chinese envoy had informed President Dr Arif Alvi that China would provide 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccines to Pakistan by the end of this year.

'Work more closely on CPEC'

Talking about CPEC, the prime minister said it was a "transformational project", adding that Pakistan and China should "work [more closely]" on it to make it a "high-quality demonstration project" of China's Belt and Road Initiative.

He also iterated the government's resolve to timely complete CPEC projects.

"China-Pakistan cooperation in trade, commerce and investment, people-to-people contacts, and mining and natural resources was also discussed," the PMO added.

The premier also talked about the situation in Afghanistan during the meeting, stressing that there was no military solution to the conflict.

"The prime minister reiterated Pakistan's resolve to steadfastly support efforts for a negotiated political settlement," the PMO said.