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China on Thursday called on the international community to continue supporting Pakistan, amid increasing criticism of the country’s efforts to tackle terrorism following the killing of Osama bin Laden in a house located near a military academy.
Even as a growing number of lawmakers in Washington called on the United States government to review the country’s substantial financial assistance to Pakistan, with some even suggesting the Pakistani military’s complicity in providing sanctuary to the al-Qaeda leader, China mounted a strong defence of its “all-weather” strategic ally and neighbour, describing it as being “at the forefront of international counter-terrorism efforts.”
"The international community should understand and support Pakistan,”
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said. “We support Pakistan’s position, and understand and support Pakistan formulating and implementing a counter-terrorism strategy based on its own national conditions.”
She added: "We also appreciate Pakistan’s active participation in international counter-terrorism efforts."
China’s vote of confidence to Islamabad comes against increasing criticism aimed at the country from the West. Besides the concerns voiced by U.S. lawmakers, British Prime Minister David Cameron said the Pakistani government had “a lot of questions” to answer, considering the circumstances of the death of bin Laden, who was found in a safe-house located close to one of Pakistan’s top military academies, in Abbottabad.
Ms. Jiang on Thursday did not reply to questions on whether China would step up assistance to Pakistan if the U.S. decided to scale back aid.
China is concerned that instability in Pakistan could spill over into its neighbouring far western Muslim-majority Xinjiang region, where the Chinese government says Islamist terrorist groups, with links to groups in Pakistan, are operating.
"China also suffers from terrorism,” Ms. Jiang said. “Some terrorist forces are engaged in a great many violent, terrorist activities for the purpose of splitting China, and seriously threaten China’s national security, and regional peace and security."
"Combating East Turkestan terrorist forces [in Xinjiang] is an important part of the international counter-terrorism campaign," she said. "The international community should step up cooperation.”
Even as a growing number of lawmakers in Washington called on the United States government to review the country’s substantial financial assistance to Pakistan, with some even suggesting the Pakistani military’s complicity in providing sanctuary to the al-Qaeda leader, China mounted a strong defence of its “all-weather” strategic ally and neighbour, describing it as being “at the forefront of international counter-terrorism efforts.”
"The international community should understand and support Pakistan,”
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said. “We support Pakistan’s position, and understand and support Pakistan formulating and implementing a counter-terrorism strategy based on its own national conditions.”
She added: "We also appreciate Pakistan’s active participation in international counter-terrorism efforts."
China’s vote of confidence to Islamabad comes against increasing criticism aimed at the country from the West. Besides the concerns voiced by U.S. lawmakers, British Prime Minister David Cameron said the Pakistani government had “a lot of questions” to answer, considering the circumstances of the death of bin Laden, who was found in a safe-house located close to one of Pakistan’s top military academies, in Abbottabad.
Ms. Jiang on Thursday did not reply to questions on whether China would step up assistance to Pakistan if the U.S. decided to scale back aid.
China is concerned that instability in Pakistan could spill over into its neighbouring far western Muslim-majority Xinjiang region, where the Chinese government says Islamist terrorist groups, with links to groups in Pakistan, are operating.
"China also suffers from terrorism,” Ms. Jiang said. “Some terrorist forces are engaged in a great many violent, terrorist activities for the purpose of splitting China, and seriously threaten China’s national security, and regional peace and security."
"Combating East Turkestan terrorist forces [in Xinjiang] is an important part of the international counter-terrorism campaign," she said. "The international community should step up cooperation.”
