Both sides discussed ‘matters of mutual interest, regional security and better bilateral defense collaboration’, Pakistani media reported
China and Pakistan signed a new memorandum of understanding to advance their already close military relations on Monday, when Chinese Defense Minister and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Wei Fenghe visited the Pakistani army headquarters in Rawalpindi. .
General Wei visited the Pakistani Army Chief of Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, at Headquarters, and the two discussed “matters of mutual interest, regional security and better bilateral defense collaboration,” Pakistani media reported.
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The two also discussed ongoing projects under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), in which the Pakistani military is playing an increasingly prominent role.
Prior to General Wei’s visit, the newly appointed Chinese envoy to Pakistan, Nong Rong, conducted a “comprehensive review” of CPEC projects together with former Pakistani Army Lieutenant General Asim Saleem Bajwa, who heads the CPEC Authority.
‘Friendship for all weather’
The Chinese defense minister also held talks with the chairman of the Pakistan Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Nadeem Raza, Pakistani media reported, where both sides “reaffirmed their commitment to the ‘iron brotherhood’ and friendship. ‘all weather’ “.
General Bajwa, Chief of the Army General Staff, was quoted as saying that the two countries “had been united from the beginning and our relations will not be different due to future challenges.”
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While the details of the new Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two armies were not immediately available, it follows another agreement signed last year, when the vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC), General Xu Qiliang, visited Rawalpindi. for defense cooperation and “Pakistan Army capacity building”.
Visit to Nepal
General Wei’s visit followed his one-day visit to Nepal, where he was the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit since President Xi Jinping’s visit in October last year.
In their meetings with President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, both sides discussed “economic cooperation within the framework of China’s proposed Belt and Road Initiative and military exchanges,” the Communist Party Global times reported, adding that General Wei said that “China firmly supports Nepal to safeguard its national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will continue to aid Nepal’s military development, contributing to regional peace and stability.”
The newspaper noted that military-to-military relations between the two countries were growing, and the PLA Air Force earlier this year sent protective equipment, medical masks and thermometers to the Nepalese military.
Nepal’s then-Defense Minister Ishwar Pokhrel visited Beijing in October 2019 when the two sides signed an agreement for 150 million yuan ($ 22.8 million) in military assistance. Global times he noted, adding that the two armies had conducted joint special forces drills for three consecutive years.
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