CHINA-PAKISTAN: CHINA ATTENDS OIC FOR FIRST TIME AND CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI ATTENDS
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Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on
March 21 discussed ways to further strengthen the "iron-clad friendship" between the two
countries and later signed five agreements to deepen their bilateral cooperation in various fields.
They exchanged views on bilateral strategic, economic and security cooperation, COVID-19
pandemic, the situation in Ukraine and regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Wang Yi is in Islamabad to attend the 48th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Council of Foreign Ministers (OIC-CFM) as a special guest at the invitation of Qureshi. In a
tweet Qureshi highlighted that this is the first time China is participating in an OIC session and
expressed confidence that "interactions with OIC country counterparts will further strengthen
engagement." Speaking at the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) on March 22, Pakistan
Prime Minister Imran Khan raked up the Kashmir issue, hitting out at India over its "illegal"
decision to abrogate Article 370. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also called for
collective response from the 57-member OIC to meet challenges faced by the Muslim
community, highlighting conflicts in the Middle East and the "denial of the right to selfdetermination" for the people of Palestine and Kashmir. He said "We have failed both the
Palestinians and the people of Kashmir. I am sad to say that we have been able to make no
impact at all.
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