He also pledged to strengthen the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and said the two countries would cooperate in innovation and green industries.
But it added that Pakistan must continue to “create a secure, stable and predictable business environment and effectively guarantee the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and organizations.”
01:54
Suicide bomb attack kills five Chinese engineers in Pakistan
Suicide bomb attack kills five Chinese engineers in Pakistan
It is the deadliest attack involving a Chinese national in 2021 and follows a suicide bombing on a bus that killed 13 people, including nine Chinese workers.
Sharif said Pakistan would deepen cooperation with China on Belt and Road projects and promised to “ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and institutions in Pakistan.”
“The Pakistani government will resolutely fight against the terrorists involved, severely punish them and take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and institutions in Pakistan,” Sharif said in a Chinese statement.
Abdul Basit, an associate research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said he believes “China is not satisfied” with Pakistan’s current security posture.
But Zhu Yongbiao, a professor at Lanzhou University’s School of Politics and International Studies, said that while China wanted closer security cooperation, it was “largely satisfied” with Pakistan’s counter-terrorism operations.
He also said Beijing will continue to invest in Pakistan and the main focus of this visit will be “economic and trade cooperation to support Pakistan’s development and enhance its self-reliance capabilities.”
As divisions between the two countries begin to emerge, Afghanistan is becoming an increasingly important factor in their thinking about security.
06:40
Two years of Taliban rule have transformed Afghanistan into a thing of the past
Two years of Taliban rule have transformed Afghanistan into a thing of the past
Although it does not formally recognize them, China has sought to use its growing influence over Taliban authorities in Kabul to rein in the Pakistani Taliban and prevent cross-border attacks on Chinese personnel and interests.
But Pakistan has taken an increasingly tough stance against Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, repeatedly accusing it of harbouring terrorists.
“There was a time when Pakistan had more influence and friendly relations. [with the Taliban] “Compared to China, the Taliban used to have more influence. But now, I think some things have changed. China has more influence and friendship with the Taliban than Pakistan,” Basit said.
“Pakistan sees the Taliban as a threat, but China sees them as an opportunity,” he added.
Before his meeting with Xi, Sharif, along with a business delegation of more than 100 people, visited Shenzhen, China’s innovation hub and model for economic reform, on Tuesday and Xi’an, a science and technology hub in northwestern China, on Friday.
Local media reported that Sharif met with government and business leaders from the two cities and discussed closer cooperation in areas such as new energy and information technology.
With inflation hitting 20 percent and the country’s economy sagging, Islamabad is increasingly looking to upgrade and expand CPEC, which links China’s western Xinjiang region with the Arabian Sea and the Middle East.
“According to Pakistan, the second phase of CPEC is about industrialisation. They want to partner with China to set up special economic zones and cooperate on agricultural reform and emerging technologies such as information,” Basit said.
“Pakistan also believes that China is relocating some of its low-end industries as it is moving towards more high-end industries… so Pakistan wants to attract some of its industries to China.”
04:22
History of Pakistan’s Imprisoned Leaders
History of Pakistan’s Imprisoned Leaders
He also hoped the two countries would negotiate a framework to extend Pakistan’s loan repayment deadline.
Pakistan’s external debt reached about $130 billion last year, double the amount in 2015, according to the State Bank of Pakistan.
According to Zhao Shiren, India’s consul general in Lahore, China accounts for 13 percent of the country’s total external debt.
“I think China will show flexibility. We may see a framework emerge on how Pakistan will repay the loan.” [to China] “What are the payments going to be over the next five years, what is the structure? We can’t pay it right now,” Basitt said.
