Islamabad:

Pakistan and China have repeated their decision to raise bilateral ties to new heights and further solidify the strategic partnership, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement on Tuesday.

The development came as ambassador for China Jiang Zaidong met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar in the federal capital.

A day earlier, FO had rejected ‘baseless and unfounded’ accusations aimed at Pakistan’s obligation to China’s policy, emphasizing that Beijing continued to be Islamabad’s ‘strategic partner in All-Weather’.

Pakistan has maintained strong bilateral ties with China, which has expanded support through numerous investments and development initiatives, including the China Pakistani economic corridor (CPEC), which has been described as a ‘lifeline’ for the nation’s economy.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Dar and Zaidong Pak-China-all-Weather-strategic partnerships confirmed a ‘cornerstone of bilateral relations’ between the two countries, FO said in the statement.

Progress with CPEC 2.0 was reviewed during the meeting, and both sides also expressed their commitment to further solidify their strategic partnership.