China reiterates pledge to support Pakistan in fight against COVID-19

In a joint statement issued from the UN headquarters in New York, China has assured Pakistan and other South Asian nations of its continued cooperation in fighting the coronavirus epidemic by providing any and every type of assistance including medical supplies and economic backing.

Beijing's assurance came in a joint response to a video conference on Tuesday attended by the foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

"The Foreign Ministers appreciated China’s efforts in addressing this challenge. China would act on President Xi Jinping’s important statement on making the vaccines a global public good, and carry out continued vaccine cooperation with the participating countries in a flexible manner, including co-production of COVID-19 vaccines," the joint statement said.

Conference also called for continued assistance to the participating countries for the vaccine in a flexible manner, including joint development of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Foreign Ministers agreed to closely follow the development of the COVID-19 situation in India and expressed their willingness to provide needed support through respective channels in consultation with India.

The foreign ministers pointed out that the coronavirus is the common enemy of all nations and stressed that "only through cooperation and solidarity can the epidemic be overcome."

On the occasion, China told the conference participants that it was ready to provide medical facilities and technical assistance to the five Asian countries.

Conference participants reaffirmed their strong support to WHO’s due role in the global cooperation against COVID-19 and acknowledged that tracing the origin of the virus is a matter of science and a global mission.

Foreign Ministers agreed that the vaccine is an important weapon to defeat the epidemic, which should be distributed based on equality and justice, and warned that "nationalism over the vaccine" should be included in global efforts to eradicate the coronavirus.

“As well as creating barriers, it can also widen the gap in the immune system,” the statement added.

Foreign Ministers said that the coronavirus is seriously impacting the global economy, adding that the global epidemic could complicate the sustainable development of all countries. They agreed to deepen Belt and Road cooperation, open their borders under the premise of pandemic prevention and control for a smooth trade.

The foreign ministers agreed to open their borders to safe trade, including measures related to the virus under the Belt and Road Initiative.

On 27 April 2021, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi of the People’s Republic of China, Acting Foreign Minister Mirwais Nab of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali of Nepal, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka held a video conference on a joint response to COVID-19 and exchanged views on international and regional cooperation on pandemic response and post-COVID economic recovery.