Hina Rabbani Khar: Pakistan minister brags about being 'unapologetically close' to China

Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan's state minister for foreign affairs, has declared that her country is in a strategic alliance with China and was "unapologetically close" to it. She was speaking at a Pakistan-China Institute-hosted discussion on the impending 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. She emphasised the tight strategic connections between Islamabad and Beijing and remembered the national political consensus on the subject.

Khar claims that both sides of the political spectrum generally concur that China is the cornerstone of the country's foreign policy. She asserted that China ties were a top priority for the late prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and that no subsequent administration has altered this essential aspect of foreign policy.

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"The initiatives launched by President Xi Jinping, whether it is Global Development Initiative or Global Security Initiative, were a testament to the fact that China prioritised human security and stability over confrontation," she observed.

Every five years, the Congress is convened, and those interested in China examine it for hints about the future of the nation. The two-stage growth plan for China for the middle of the twenty-first century will also be decided upon by the Congress, along with important priorities for the upcoming five years.

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Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong stated that the National People's Congress was the most significant political agenda for the year's end. In the meantime, he said that CPEC had changed Pakistan's socioeconomic environment by updating infrastructure and resolving the energy issue. He described relations between Pakistan and China as "rock-solid".

Rong added that China would remain in Islamabad during such trying times and expressed solidarity with Pakistan in regards to the floods that have wreaked havoc across the nation.

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The National Flood Response and Coordination Centre was earlier established with approval from the coalition government of Pakistan to provide an institutional response to Pakistan’s ongoing flood disaster.

The largest natural disaster to hit Pakistan in almost ten years is currently taking place. Millions of people have been affected by the floods, and as a result, the Pakistani government has proclaimed a "national emergency".

(With ANI inputs)