China defended its ally Pakistan on August 22, 2017, after US President Donald Trump said the United States could no longer be silent about Pakistan's "safe havens" for militants and warned it had much to lose by continuing to "harbor terrorists".Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Pakistan was on the front line in the struggle against terrorism and had made "great sacrifices" and "important contributions" in the fight. She said "We believe that the international community should fully recognize Pakistan's anti-terrorism. We are happy to see Pakistan and the United States carry out anti-terror cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, and work together for security and stability in the region and world." She added that China and Pakistan consider each other "all-weather friends" and have close diplomatic, economic and security ties. Commenting on Afghanistan, she said China has its own security concerns in the region, in particular any links between militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan and Islamist groups China blames for violence in its far western region of Xinjiang, adding "We hope the relevant U.S. policies can help promote the security, stability and development of Afghanistan and the region."
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