Chinese President Jiang Zemin said Wednesday in Beijing that China
supports Pakistan's positive role in the peace process of
Afghanistan.
China will keep contact and coordinate positions with Pakistan in a
bid to safeguard peace and stability in the region, Jiang, also
chairman of the Central Military Commission, said in a meeting with
Muhammad Aziz Khan, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
of Pakistan.
Over the years, Jing said, along with the international community,
China and Pakistan have made unremitting efforts for a peaceful
solution of the issue of Afghanistan, a neighbor of both China and
Pakistan.
China sincerely hopes that all factions in Afghanistan will place
national interests and peace above everything else, and implement
relevant agreements in a down-to-earth manner, so as to restore
peace and tranquillity in the country at an early date, Jiang
said.
Jiang said that Afghanistan's fate should be ultimately decided by
the Afghan people and at the same time, the United Nations' role is
indispensable to the political solution of the Afghanistan
issue.
On
Sino-Pakistani relations, Jiang said China and Pakistan are
friendly close neighbors and over the years the people of the two
countries have enjoyed mutual understanding, support and
assistance, and forged a deep friendship.
Since the establishment of diplomatic ties half a century ago,
Jiang said, the two countries' friendly relations of cooperation
have withstood the test of changes in the world. Bilateral
relations have been characterized by sincerity, friendship, mutual
trust and mutually beneficial cooperation, he said.
The president said that South Asia is an important part of Asia and
there could be no peace and prosperity in the whole Asia without
the stability and development in South Asia.
China sincerely hopes that South Asia will maintain peace and
stability and score a rapid and sound economic development, Jiang
said.
Aziz said that the people of Pakistan and China have supported each
other, treated each other with sincerity, and forged a deep
friendship since the countries established diplomatic ties 50 years
ago.
The friendly relations of cooperation between the two countries and
their armed forces have continued to be consolidated and developed,
Aziz said.
He
also briefed Jiang on Pakistan's views on the international and
regional situations.
(People's Daily
January 17, 2002)