Pakistan and China have agreed to significantly bolster their intelligence cooperation in the fight against terrorism, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced following a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Qi Yanjun, in Beijing on Wednesday.
The meeting, lasting two hours, occurred during a high-level Pakistani delegation’s visit to China, led by President Asif Ali Zardari. The delegation also includes Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Senator Saleem Mandviwala, and Dr Asim Hussain.
The increased intelligence sharing comes in response to recent attacks targeting Chinese personnel in Pakistan, a matter of serious concern for both nations. The discussions focused on improving security measures for Chinese nationals working on projects within Pakistan, including the potential for a joint security management system.
The rising frequency of these attacks, notably the 2021 Dasu bus attack which killed nine Chinese engineers and two Frontier Corps personnel, underscores the urgency of enhanced cooperation. Beyond intelligence sharing, the ministers also discussed strengthening border security, utilizing modern technology for law enforcement, and acquiring advanced policing equipment from China. Further collaboration between the National Police Academy, Beijing Police, and Islamabad Police was also agreed upon.
The meeting also touched upon the successful January meeting of the Joint Working Group, reaffirming commitment to the high-quality development of CPEC’s second phase, focusing on industrialization, special economic zones, clean energy, agriculture, and livelihood projects.
A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that both sides had reaffirmed the high priority for bilateral relations between the two countries and efforts will be made to boost ties.
“The two sides will further deepen high-level political mutual trust, high-level practical cooperation, high-level security cooperation and high-level international coordination, accelerate efforts to build an even closer China-Pakistan Community with a Shared Future in the New Era, and contribute greater strength to common prosperity of the two countries and to peace and development of the region,” the statement said.
The two sides agreed to strengthen high-level interactions, enhance exchanges and cooperation across various departments and at different levels between central governments, local authorities, legislative bodies and political parties, and carry out in-depth exchanges of governance experience, the statement said.
