KARACHI, Pakistan

Longtime allies China and Pakistan on Thursday reaffirmed their “unwavering” partnership, vowing to further strengthen strategic communication and bilateral cooperation.

The reaffirmation came during a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistan's interim Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on the sidelines of the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.

The two leaders agreed to further "strengthen and deepen" high-level dialogue and exchanges for the mutual benefit of the two countries and people, said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office in Islamabad.

Xi said China attaches "special" importance to Pakistan in its foreign policy and will continue to support the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and development.

He added that China will continue to support Pakistan in harnessing its geo-economic potential and emerging as a hub of regional trade.

The leaders emphasized the importance of the steady pace of the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and to "make it a corridor of growth, livelihood, innovation, openness and green development dovetailed with Pakistan's vision for a sustainable and inclusive socioeconomic development."

The $64 billion CPEC is a major economic and infrastructure project between the two allies, which enables China to access the Arabian Sea through the Gwadar Port.​​​​​​​

According to a readout from Beijing, Xi said: "Successive Pakistani governments have actively supported and participated in Belt and Road cooperation."

"Over the past decade, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has achieved fruitful results and effectively contributed to Pakistan’s economic and social development," said the Chinese president.