Shehbaz meets Xi - Pakistan & China renew their ironclad bond in Beijing
Chinese President Xi Jinping has said that closer ties between China and Pakistan are crucial for safeguarding regional peace and stability. Xi, during his meeting with visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing, said China and Pakistan should work to accelerate the building of an even closer community, state-run Xinhua News reported. "China stands ready to work with Pakistan to build upgraded versions of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement," Xi said, hoping Pakistan will take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan. In recent years, banned terrorist outfits such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) have attacked Chinese engineers working on CPEC projects. Pakistan accuses India of backing the BLA, a charge New Delhi denies. Pakistan said President Xi assured that Beijing would continue supporting Islamabad across all sectors as the two countr...