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China Asks US to Value Pakistan’s Important Role in Afghanistan

Beijing:  China once again defended Pakistan against the US President criticism, calling upon the US to value Pakistan’s important role in Afghanistan and respect its sovereignty and security concerns.

The Chinese top diplomat Yang Jiechi during a telephonic conversation with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson defended Pakistan’s ‘important role’ in Afghanistan.

Trump, in unveiling his Afghanistan strategy this week, alleged that Pakistan was playing a double game by accepting American aid while giving ‘safe haven’ to militants who kill Afghan and Nato troops. Islamabad strongly denied the allegations.

China State Councillor Yang Jiechi told Tillerson “we should attach importance to the important role that Pakistan plays in the Afghanistan issue, respect (Pakistan’s) sovereignty and legitimate security concerns,” according to a foreign ministry statement.

It is the second time Beijing has defended its neighbour this week, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying praising Pakistan on Tuesday for making “great sacrifices and contributions to fighting terrorism”.

Yang said Beijing was committed to “advancing the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan” and that political dialogue was “the only way to solve the Afghanistan problem”.

He added that “China would like to continue to maintain communication and coordination on the Afghanistan problem with the US side”.

The call between the US and Chinese diplomats came after new tensions arose between the two powers on Wednesday as Washington slapped sanctions on Chinese companies accused of links with North Korea, angering Beijing.

Beijing is investing around $50 billion in Pakistan as part of a plan unveiled in 2015 to link its far-western Xinjiang region to the Pakistani port of Gwadar in Balochistan province.

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