Associated Press of Pakistan: On July 21, the third meeting of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) joint working group on international cooperation was held online. Do you have any response on that?

Zhao Lijian: Thank you for your interest in the relevant CPEC meeting.

On July 21, the Joint Working Group on International Cooperation and Coordination under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) held the third meeting via video link. The meeting was co-chaired by Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao and Pakistani Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood.

Both sides agreed to well grasp the general direction of the development of the CPEC, and properly cope with risks and challenges to accumulate positive energy for, inject new impetus into, and provide a strong guarantee for the development of the CPEC.

Both sides exchanged views and reached common understandings on the participation of third parties in CPEC and exchanges among media and think tanks, including promoting cooperation schemes involving third parties in line with existing consensus and extending CPEC projects to Afghanistan. The two sides also agreed to continue to deepen media cooperation and do a good job in telling “CPEC stories”, and innovate and expand cooperation among think tanks to provide more public support and insights for the development of  CPEC.

China stands ready to work with Pakistan to follow through on the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, and push forward all CPEC projects in a safe, smooth, and high-quality manner to better benefit the two countries and two peoples.