Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told Chinese President Xi Jinping that Islamabad is “resolutely opposed” to attempts to undermine Beijing’s sovereignty on the issue of Taiwan.
“Pakistan is resolutely opposed to the attempt[s] of certain forces to undermine China’s sovereignty and interfere in its internal affairs,” Sharif told Xi, as per Beijing's readout of their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State (CHS) meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Friday.
“Pakistan is firmly committed to the one-China policy, and firmly supports China’s position on issues concerning its core interests including Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong,” the Pakistani PM also said during the meeting, the first in-person contact between the two “all-weather” partners since Sharif came to power after toppling ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April.
Khan has blamed the US for instigating the no-confidence motion that led to his ouster. Meanwhile, bilateral ties between Washington and Islamabad have improved since Khan’s was ousted, with several high-level diplomatic and military contacts.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief this month lauded Pakistan’s role in maintaining regional security during a visit to the country. Also this month, the US State Department approved a maintenance package of $450 million for the Pakistan Air Force's (PAF) fleet of F-16 fighter jets to improve Islamabad's "ability to support counter-terrorism operation."
In May, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for expanding economic ties between the nations during a visit by Pakistan's foreign minister.
The remarks by Sharif expressing support for Taiwan come amid growing tensions between the US and China in the Taiwan Strait in the wake of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August. In response to Pelosi’s trip, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) held its biggest-ever war games, involving ballistic missile drills in six regions around Taiwan.
Pelosi’s visit was followed by several high-profile visits by other US lawmakers to Taiwan, which have also been slammed by Beijing. In fact, it has been reported that 28 American lawmakers have visited Taiwan this year, the most since 2013.
Beijing opposes any form of official contact between the US and Taiwan, saying that such actions could undermine the core foundations of US-China relations, which are underpinned by the three China-US joint communiques and adherence to the One China policy.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that proposed US legislation, known as the Taiwan Policy Act (TPA), would “greatly shake the political foundation of China-US relations” should it clear the US Congress.
The TPA has been cleared by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is currently up for a vote in the US Congress.