Beijing: The China-Pakistan relationship is one of Pakistan’s most important bilateral relationships, Ambassador Masood Khan, the Pakistani Ambassador to China here said on Tuesday.

“No relationship—our relationship with the United States or our relationship with other countries—can match the unique characteristics of our relationship with China,” he argued.

His remarks came in response to questions about a recent column posted on the UPI Asia website that claimed that the US emphasis on fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan has pushed Pakistan away from China into what the author called the “US orbit”.

The Ambassador dismissed that as “wishful thinking” and said it “has nothing to do with reality”.

He acknowledged that Pakistan has long-standing relations with the US and Pakistan welcomes the assistance from the US to fight terrorism. However, he said, “I want to emphasize that we take decisions in our own national interest and our national interest dictates that the relationship between Pakistan and China should have primacy over all other relationships.”

Since taking office in September 2008, the Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has visited China three times, and other senior officials from Pakistan have also made trips to China. Ambassador Khan said this shows Pakistan’s commitment to the country.

“The relations between Pakistan and China have been growing from strength to strength…Successive generations have nurtured and sustained these relations,” he said. “They are anchored in the hearts and minds of the people; they are part of the popular psyche.”

Ambassador Khan also has extensive experience in China. He studied Chinese at the Beijing Language Institute (now the Beijing Language University) in China during the early 1980s before he was posted as the Third Secretary in the Pakistan Embassy in China from 1984 to 1986.

He previously served as Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Before joining the Foreign Service, he was a lecturer in English at Allama Iqbal Open University, and worked as an English newscaster with Radio Pakistan and a presenter for educational programs on Pakistan Television. He is now married with two daughters and a son and holds a Master’s degree in English.

Video: Christie Lee & Ren Cong

Script: Qi Xiao