New Pakistani govt releases photo of newly elected PM Shahbaz Sharif

The Press Information Department has released a photo of the newly elected Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif speaking to the National Assembly on April 11, 2022 in Islamabad, Pakistan. ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said here Tuesday that the new government attaches great importance to strengthening relations between Pakistan and China.

Shahbaz, who was elected to be the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan on Monday and took the oath on the same day, made remarks at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad, with Pang Chunxue, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan.

The Pakistani prime minister stated that the unbreakable Pak-China friendship is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people of the two countries, and that Pakistan regards China as its best friend and cherishes its deep friendship with the Chinese people.

Pakistan and China have always supported each other and had mutually beneficial cooperation, setting a good example for state-to-state relations, Shahbaz said.

Shahbaz appreciated the continued progress of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor CPEC as the flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and its importance for the economic development and prosperity of Pakistan.

He said that the new Pakistani government is ready to strengthen bilateral cooperation in agriculture, science and technology, education and poverty alleviation, and to push forward the construction of CPEC with greater vigor and efficiency to better benefit the two countries and the two peoples.

Pang said that both China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners that enjoy rock-solid relationships.

READ MORE: Spokesman: China to maintain friendly ties with Pakistan

She said that China looks forward to working closely with the new Pakistani government to maintain traditional friendship, strengthen strategic communication, and forge a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era.