Fraught ties with India, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and the Covid-19 pandemic will likely be key topics of discussion at a strategic dialogue between Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi and Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the sunny south China province of Hainan on Thursday and Friday.
The Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday formally announced that minister Wang, who is also the state councilor, will host Qureshi for the two-day second round of China-Pakistan strategic foreign ministers’ dialogue in Hainan, beginning today.
Qureshi’s visit will be one of the first high-profile diplomatic visits to China as the country emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic; the Indonesian FM Retno Marsudi is already here on a two-day visit, which began Wednesday.
The two top diplomats from China and Pakistan will meet at a time when both Beijing and Islamabad’s ties with New Delhi have taken a nosedive over the Sino-India border tension in eastern Ladakh, and (with Pakistan) on the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir and terrorism.
“This time the strategic dialogue is highly relevant and the two sides will take the opportunity to discuss anti-epidemic cooperation, bilateral ties and other regional and international issues of mutual interest,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian announced at the regular ministry briefing on Thursday.
“We believe this dialogue will help to enhance our strategic mutual trust, deepen our practical cooperation and strengthen our close coordination on international and regional affairs,” Zhao emphasised.
The last China-Pakistan foreign ministers’ strategic dialogue was held in March, 2019. Zhao said it had led to consensus on several matters and played an important role in the development of bilateral relations.