Beijing lauds defense cooperation with Pakistan

Beijing lauds defense cooperation with Pakistan
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Pakistani Defense Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan shaking hands with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe. (Photo courtesy: Defense Ministry)
Beijing lauds defense cooperation with Pakistan
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Delegation-level talks held between Pakistan and China. (Photo courtesy: Defense Ministry)
Updated 26 April 2018
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Beijing lauds defense cooperation with Pakistan

Beijing lauds defense cooperation with Pakistan
  • Bilateral military cooperation helps maintain regional strategic balance, says Chinese defense minister.
  • Pakistan and India were admitted as full members last year.

ISLAMABAD: Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said defense and military cooperation with Pakistan is the pillar of the two countries’ strategic partnership, Pakistan’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. 
Wei made these remarks while talking to Pakistani Defense Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan during a meeting of defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
China supports Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir, and defense cooperation between the two countries has helped maintain a strategic balance in the region, Wei said.
He “acknowledged the unprecedented sacrifices made by the armed forces and people of Pakistan during the ongoing fight against the menace of terrorism,” said Pakistan’s Defense Ministry.
Meanwhile, Khan met with Belarus Defense Minister Andrei Ravkov on the sidelines of the SCO meeting. They discussed defense and military cooperation.
The SCO, founded in China in 2001, has eight full members: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and India. Pakistan and India became full members last year.