BEIJING, (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday called on Pakistan to step up mediation efforts, and contribute to properly addressing issues related to opening the Strait of Hormuz.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the appeal when speaking to Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar over phone.
Dar briefed Wang on Pakistan’s recent mediation efforts in facilitating talks between Iran and the United States, thanked China for its support of Pakistan’s efforts to promote dialogue, and expressed hope to strengthen coordination with China to jointly play a positive role in maintaining regional peace and stability.
Wang reiterated China’s principled position and commended Pakistan for facilitating U.S.-Iran talks and helping extend the temporary ceasefire. He expressed hope that Pakistan will maintain confidence and contribute to restoring regional peace at an early date, which is also the common aspiration of the international community.
China will continue to support Pakistan’s mediation efforts and make its own contribution toward this end, Wang said.
China and Pakistan will mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties in a few days. The two sides should jointly hold commemorative activities, maintain close high-level exchanges, strengthen strategic communication, consolidate their ironclad friendship, advance practical cooperation, better safeguard each other’s core interests as well as the common interests of China and Pakistan, and promote the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership to new heights, he said.
Wang added that facing a world intertwined with changes and turbulence, the two sides should voice the just position of China and Pakistan on multilateral platforms such as the UN, and jointly uphold multilateralism.
For his part, Dar said that the Pakistani side is willing to take the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to deepen all-round cooperation with China, strengthen multilateral coordination, and work for new progress in the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.
