China's Xi affirms commitment to Pakistan economic ties
Chinese President Xi Jinping has affirmed his country's commitment to invest in Pakistan despite a slowdown in recent years
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday affirmed his country's commitment to invest in Pakistan despite obstacles created in recent years by security concerns and the global economic slowdown.
Xi cited the “all-weather strategic partnership” between the countries during a meeting in Beijing with newly elected Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
Beijing and Islamabad have ties dating from the Cold War, in part due to their mutual tensions with India, with which China has a lengthy disputed border that sparked a 1962 war and more recent clashes. Pakistan and India have fought repeatedly over the Muslim majority Himalayan territory of Kashmir.
China has committed tens of millions of dollars to build power plants and other infrastructure in Pakistan, and Xi pointed to transport links to the Arabian Sea port of Gwadar and in the southern trade hub of Karachi as key elements in that effort.
