Beijing, 31 August 2023 (TDI): The 8th round of Pakistan-China Bilateral Consultations on Arms Control and non-proliferation took place in Beijing on Wednesday, cementing the longstanding partnership between the two nations in promoting global security and peace.
Sun Xiaobo, Director General, of the Department of Arms Control, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, and Kamran Akhtar, Additional Secretary of Arms Control of Pakistan, headed their respective delegations.
During their meeting, the leaders engaged in a comprehensive dialogue on various facets of the bilateral relationship, international and regional security dynamics, and a wide array of mutual interests.
Additional Secretary Kamran Akhtar called on Sun Weidong, Vice Foreign Minister of the Republic of China, underscoring the importance of China-Pakistan relations.
According to Sun Weidong, Pakistan-China are all-weather strategic cooperating partners.
However, he stated that Beijing has shown its eagerness to cooperate with Islamabad to improve close relations and collaboration in a variety of domains.
Moreover, he said that Pakistan looks forward to deepening cooperation with China in arms control, disarmament, and other areas of mutual interests.
Further underscoring the multifaceted nature of the collaborationtion, Pakistan’s delegation paid visits to esteemed think tanks in Beijing, including the China Arms Control & Disarmament Association (CACDA) and the Chinese Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICR).
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The shared harmony to enhance communication strategy between these think tanks and research organizations signifies the growing cooperation between Pakistan and China.
At the end of the discussion, it was commonly agreed to host the 9th round next year on a mutually agreed date, reaffirming their commitment to further advance arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation initiatives.
