PEKING: Pakistan and China have expressed their determination to oppose hegemonism and expansionism and to continue vigilance against such tendencies, a joint communique said today [May 14]. The communique, issued at the end of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s ... visit to China … contained Peking’s firm assurance of support to Pakistan in defence of national integrity, State sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Chinese Premier Chou En-lai … also declared China’s firm support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their just struggle for self-determination. … It was understood that China would accord recognition to Ban­gladesh when relations between Islamabad and Dacca were normalised. … Both the countries agreed that at the present time the international situation was developing in a direction favourable to people everywhere and unfavourable to imperialism. …

…[T]he struggle of the people of the Third World for complete political independence and their demand for change in the present iniquitous world economic order were becoming an irresistible historical trend. … The communique said Premier Chou welcomed the positive results achieved by the Islamic Summit at Lahore.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2024