Moin ul Haque, a Pakistani ambassador to China. Photo: Courtesy of the Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing
Pakistan believes in the one-China principle and supports China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Pakistan will continue to support its iron brother- China on issues relating to its core national interest, said the Pakistani ambassador to China Moin ul Haque in an exclusive interview on Saturday, responding to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's provocative visit to Taiwan. Despite China's countermeasures, the ambassador said that every country has the right to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity within the bounds of international law. In the same vein, Pakistan supports the Chinese government's efforts in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. He emphasized the importance of upholding the principles of the UN charter, international law and bilateral agreements. Inter-state relations should be based on mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs, he said. Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday night, in spite of China's strong opposition and serious representations. The visit is seen as a violation of the one-China principle. On Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced eight countermeasures in response. The countermeasures include cancelling China-US Theater Commanders Talks, cancelling China-US Defense Policy Coordination Talks, suspending China-US military cooperation on criminal matters, suspending China-US cooperation on transnational crimes, suspending China-US counternarcotics cooperation and suspending China-US talks on climate change. Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad issued a statement on Tuesday, reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to the one-China principle and saying that Pakistan firmly supports China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The ambassador said that as 'iron brothers' and 'All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partners, Pakistan and China have always stood shoulder-to- shoulder with each other through many challenges. He said that Pakistan would continue to give full support to its 'iron brother', China, on the issues of its core national interest. The ambassador said that the world is already grappling with multi-faceted challenges and the current global geopolitical situation is tense. The Taiwan Straits regional situation was complicated with the visit. The world cannot afford another crisis with far-reaching implications for regional and global peace and security, he said. The government of the People's Republic of China is the only legal government representing the whole of China and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, despite the fact that there is only one China in the world. The concept is about China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, which needs to be respected. Therefore, Pakistan opposes any attempt to create 'two Chinas' or 'one China, one Taiwan or 'Taiwan independence, he said. During the interview, Ambassador Haque reaffirmed Pakistan's unwavering support to China on the issues of its core interest including Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong and South China Sea.