ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Imran Khan vowed on Tuesday that the relationship between all-weather friends, Pakistan and China, will not change whether any kind of pressure is put on Islamabad.
In an interview with China’s state-run state broadcaster China Global Television Network (CGTN), he said: “If pressure is put on Pakistan to change or downgrade its relationship with China, it would not happen because relationship between China and Pakistan is very deep”.
“Whatever will happen, our relationship between the two countries, no matter what pressure is put on us, is not going to be changed,” he reiterated.
Responding to a question, the premier said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a multi-billion dollar project, “is the biggest thing happening in Pakistan”.
He added that it is “very unfair” of the United States and Western powers to pressurise countries like Pakistan to pick sides and downgrade their ties with China.
He added that the trade ties will bolster Pakistan’s economic growth.
PM Imran Khan also said that political relations between the two countries also got stronger, adding: “Whatever happens at any international forum Pakistan and China stand together”.
He recalled that China “always stood with us” whenever Pakistan faced problems politically or internationally or in a conflict with its neighbour.
“In good times, everyone stands with you but in your difficult, tough times, bad times, you remember those people who stood by you. That’s why you will find that in Pakistan, people always have a special fondness for people in China,” Pakistan PM said.
He said that the bilateral ties are not limited to the government level but it was a people-to-people relationship.
Taking about the regional matters, he said that a “strange, great rivalry” is happening in the region.
“You see the United States being wary of China. The way United States and China are looking at each other creates problems because what the United States is doing is it’s formed this regional alliance called the Quad, which is US, India and a couple of other countries,” he said, besides asserting: “We should have good relations with everyone”.
