The Chinese Foreign Minister has praised the ‘Ironclad’ friendship between China and Pakistan and repeated his country’s permanent support to Pakistan in protecting his sovereignty, fighting terrorism and pursuing a developmental path suitable for its national conditions.

“China will continue to support Pakistan in playing a bigger role in international and regional affairs,” said Wang Yi, who is also a member of the political Burau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, in a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Wednesday.

Wang added that both countries should work towards an “upgraded version” of CPEC, expand cooperation to areas such as industry, agriculture, energy, mineral resources, development of human resources, terrorism and security.

The statement was published after high -level talks between Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who is also the country’s foreign minister, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Wednesday.

According to the statement, China and Pakistan confirmed their obligation to elaborate on their strategic partnerships throughout. Discussions emphasized bilateral cooperation on security, economic development and regional stability, while at the same time highlighting shared goals under CPEC and the vision of a China-Pakistan society with a common future.

Deputy Prime Minister DAR also confirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support for the one-China principle and expressed admiration for China’s results in innovation and technology. He conveyed Pakistan’s desire to extend extensive cooperation with China and called for continued Chinese support to help Pakistan tackle financial and security challenges.

He also assured his counterpart that Pakistan remains obliged to ensure the security and security of all Chinese staff, projects and institutions operating within its limits.

In the past, Pakistan, China and Afghanistan accepted to expand CPEC to Afghan territory and marked a significant step in trilateral cooperation under the belt and the road initiative.

The agreement came during an informal trilateral meeting held in Beijing between deputy PM Dar, Chinese FM and Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

The three sides called their cooperation crucial to regional stability and agreed that economic integration was the key to joint progress. They also emphasized the importance of fighting terrorism and working collectively against peace and sustainable development.