"China not worried about our flirtations": Despite wooing US, Pak Defence minister Khwaja Asif affirms China is top ally

New York [US], September 27 (ANI): A day after US President Donald Trump hosted the Pakistan PM Shahbaz Sharif and Pak Army Chief Asim Munir at the White House, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khwaja Asif has said that China is not worried about Pakistan "flirting" with the US, noting that the two countries have a time-tested partnership.

He made the remarks in an interview to British-American Journalist, Mehdi Hasan, when asked about the ties Pakistan has with China and the United States.

Citing the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Hasan noted Pakistan has sourced around 80 % of its weapons from China over the past four years. On being questioned if Pakistan's close relationship now with Trump through mineral deals, crypto deals and more, could jeopardize the relationship with China, Khwaja Asif said, "We are not worried about that, because it's a time tested relationship with China- since the late 50s... I'll just conclude it by saying that China is not worried about our flirtations or whatever you call it."

When questioned with whom Pakistan sees its "strategic future"--US or China, the Pak Defence Minister told Hasan, "In the past, even today and in future also China has been a very reliable ally, very reliable provider of arms of all kinds to us. Our Air Force, submarines, and planes. Our submarines are from there. Almost a major portion of our arms are from China, and our defence cooperation is increasing. It is much more robust than before, with China... the main reason is unreliability of other sources like the United States of America."

He underscored, "They (China) are reliable and they are our neighbours. We share borders and we share the geography."

The wide-ranging interview which covered the recently concluded Saudi-Pakistan Defence Pact, to the imprisonment of former PM Imran Khan, and Pakistan's relationship with the United States.

Speaking about the relationship with the US and China, Asif said, "We have had a transactional or a flirtatious relationship with the United States for a very long time". The Pak Defence Minister further noted that as flirty as Pakistan is with the US, Asif says China was, and will continue to be, Pakistan's top ally: "They're reliable, and they are our neighbours."

US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) hosted the Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Asim Munir at the Oval Office in Washington. According to the Pak PMO, US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were also present.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on Friday, during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), dedicated a significant portion to praising Donald Trump, expressing admiration for the US President.

Sharif lauded Trump, calling him a "man of peace" and nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize for allegedly brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.

Pakistan PM did not mention that it was his DGMO who grabbed the phone to ring India, soon after New Delhi retaliated against Islamabad's attacks, post initial strikes on terror targets. India has maintained that the ceasefire was agreed upon between the DGMOs of both countries without the involvement of any other leader.

When asked if Saudi Arabia is protected by Pakistan's nuclear umbrella under the defence pact, Asif refrained from commenting and shared that the pact has led to the formalisation of defence arrangement between the two countries, as per Zeteo.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a "Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement", pledging that any aggression against either nation would be treated as an attack on both.

The agreement was inked during a state visit by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Riyadh at the invitation of Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (ANI)

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