Terming Pakistan and China as ‘Iron Brothers’, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that both the countries always stand together in difficult times and have extended unwavering support to each other on issues of mutual concern, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The prime minister expressed these views during a meeting with Charge d’affaires of the People’s Republic of China Pang Chunxue, who called on him.

The prime minister felicitated the Communist Party of China on its 102nd anniversary and thanked the CPC leadership for its firm support to Pakistan’s sovereignty, integrity and economic development, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release issued on Tuesday.

Recalling his substantive interactions with President Xi Jinping and more recently with Premier Li Qiang, the prime minister appreciated the strong personal commitment of the Chinese leadership for strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries.

Noting the upward trajectory in Pakistan-China ties and deepening economic and financial relationship, the prime minister thanked China for its support for Pakistan’s economic stability and expressed his firm commitment to further deepen development cooperation between the two countries under the rubric of the Global Development Initiative and CPEC.

Conveying the best wishes and felicitations of the Chinese government for Pakistan, Pang underscored that Pakistan was an all-weather strategic cooperative partner of China and a time-tested friend.

She highlighted that the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China accorded a special place to Pakistan in its neighborhood diplomacy and looked forward to further deepening relationship in all fields of bilateral cooperation.

Thanking the prime minister for his virtual participation in the first High-Level Forum on Global Development Initiative (GDI), Chinese Charge d’ Affaires expressed China’s resolve to implement GDI projects in Pakistan as envisaged by the leadership of the two countries.

She further underscored that CPEC was a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative and that Chinese leadership would continue supporting Pakistan’s efforts for developing CPEC as a high-quality demonstration project of the BRI.

She reiterated that China regarded Pakistan as an important economic partner and would continue its efforts for promoting socio-economic development and financial stability of Pakistan.