NEW DELHI: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday congratulated Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on his election, saying that the “iron-clad friendship” between the two countries is a “choice of history” and that the “strategic significance” of the ties has become more “prominent” in light of current global changes.
“China and Pakistan are good neighbours, good friends, good partners and good brothers,” he said, adding that the two countries’ “iron-clad friendship is a choice of history and a precious treasure of the two peoples.”
Xi said that “the two countries have in recent years maintained close high-level exchanges, supported each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, achieved fruitful results in the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and maintained a high level of development of bilateral relations,” state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Zardari, the co-chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party, ran as a joint candidate for the ruling PPP-PML-N alliance.
Meanwhile, China has provided foreign loans and debt rollovers on a regular basis to help Pakistan, which is suffering from a severe economic crisis.
According to recent reports from Islamabad, China has agreed to roll over a USD two billion loan that was scheduled to be paid in March.
(With inputs from agencies)