China, Pakistan and Bangladesh hold first trilateral meeting, discuss ways to boost ‘cooperation'
China, Pakistan and Bangladesh held their first trilateral meeting Thursday involving senior foreign ministry officials, China's Foreign Ministry said. The meeting took place in Kunming, the capital of China's southern Yunnan province.
This is the second trilateral dialogue that China has launched in India's neighbourhood, following a similar meeting between the foreign ministers of China, Pakistan and Afghanistan last month.
The meeting in Kunming was attended by China's Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, Bangladesh's Acting Foreign Secretary Ruhul Alam Siddique and Pakistan's Additional Foreign Secretary Imran Ahmed Siddiqui. Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch took part in the first part of the discussions by video link, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
Sun Weidong said that both Bangladesh and Pakistan are 'good neighbours, good friends, and good partners of China.' He added that both countries are key partners for China's Belt and Road cooperation projects.
According to the press release, the officials exchanged views on strengthening cooperation between the three countries. They agreed to set up a working group to follow up on the ideas and agreements discussed at the meeting.
Sun Weidong also said that closer cooperation between China, Pakistan and Bangladesh 'aligns with the common interests of the three peoples' and can help contribute to peace, stability, development and prosperity across the region.
The three sides are expected to hold further meetings to build on this initial dialogue and explore practical steps for future cooperation, the press release said.
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