China hails Pakistan military as “mainstay” of ties

China says it hopes parties in Pakistan “will stay united”

China on Thursday described the Chinese military’s relationship with Pakistan’s armed forces as “serving as the mainstay of China-Pakistan friendship”, while Beijing called on all parties in Pakistan “to stay united” with the Imran Khan government in turmoil.

Asked if Beijing was concerned about the instability in Pakistan and the possible impact on ties, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said “China is committed to a non-interference policy.” “As an all-weather strategic cooperative partner and friendly neighbour of Pakistan, China sincerely hopes all parties in Pakistan will stay united and uphold the major interest of development and stability.”

Also on Thursday, China’s military hailed the importance of military-to-military relations between the two countries.

PLA Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence, said “military-to-military relations, serving as the mainstay of the China-Pakistan friendship, have played an important role in the development of bilateral relations for a long time”.

Asked about Pakistan recently receiving China’s J-10CE fighter jets, he said “China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners, true friends and iron brothers that share weal and woe.”

“China is willing to work with Pakistan to accelerate the construction of a closer China-Pakistan community of shared destiny in the new era,” he said, adding that “the Chinese and Pakistani militaries stand ready to expand practical cooperation in various fields to a new level and inject a new impetus into the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries”.

China has over the years maintained close parallel relations with both military and civilian leaderships in Pakistan. The military-to-military ties have particularly underpinned the relationship and anchored relations even as civilian governments in Pakistan have come and gone. Chinese officials have often referred to military ties with Pakistan as playing the role of a “stabiliser”.