Chinese, Pakistani FMs exchange views on Iran

NEW YORK, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday met Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in New York and exchanged views with him on the situation in Iran.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said Pakistan has actively mediated in the U.S.-Iran negotiations and is a trustworthy and qualified mediator.

China will continue to support Pakistan's peace efforts and work to push for dialogue and negotiation and promote a comprehensive ceasefire, so as to restore peace and stability in the Middle East and the Gulf region as soon as possible, he added.

For his part, Dar thanked China for its support of Pakistan's mediation efforts. He said Pakistan and China have put forward a five-point proposal on peace and stability in the Middle East and the Gulf region, which has received broad support. Pakistan will continue to play a constructive role in de-escalating the situation.

On bilateral relations, Wang said Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif carried out a successful visit to China, during which the leaders of the two countries reached important new consensus, elevating the building of a China-Pakistan community with a shared future to a new level.

China is ready to work with Pakistan to maintain high-level exchanges, deepen political mutual trust, expand practical cooperation, enhance Pakistan's capacity for self-driven development, and accelerate the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, said Wang.

Dar said Prime Minister Sharif's visit to China was a great success. Pakistan is ready to work with China to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, strengthen the alignment of development strategies, advance the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and deepen cooperation in various fields, so as to continuously promote the development of the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.

He said Pakistan will continue to fully support China-proposed initiatives and work with China to practice multilateralism.