China and Pakistan pledged on Sunday to jointly promote the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and push forward the development of bilateral ties.

The pledges were made as visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Pakistani President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad separately on Sunday.

Alvi, who was sworn in as the Pakistani president Sunday, received Wang as his first foreign guest.

He said friendship with China is Pakistan's national policy and over the last five decades, Pakistan has always cherished the friendship with China, which is based on mutual benefit and is deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples.

The president hailed the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative as visionary, saying that CPEC, an important part of the Belt and Road construction, has brought and will continue to bring tangible benefits to the Pakistani people.

Wang said the bilateral relations and friendship between China and Pakistan remain unchanged despite the changing domestic and international situation, adding that his visit was aimed at getting in touch with the new Pakistani government to continue and facilitate bilateral cooperation in all fields.

During his meeting with Wang, also on Sunday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said that his government is firmly committed to promoting the further development of Pakistan-China relations.

Noting that the CPEC is an iconic project for economic cooperation between the two countries, and also an important part of the Belt and Road Initiative, Khan said Pakistan stands ready to cooperate fully with China to build this project.

The Pakistani prime minister expressed his hope to learn from China's experiences in poverty alleviation and anti-corruption, adding that he is looking forward to paying a visit to China in November and attending the first China International Import Expo in Shanghai.

Wang spoke highly of the remarks Khan made when stressing he will continue to push forward the CPEC between China and Pakistan. He said the Chinese government is willing to actively work with Pakistan, sharing experiences in poverty alleviation, anti-corruption as well as other areas.  

Wang pointed out that the construction of the CPEC has played a positive role in Pakistan's economic and social development, and it will enter a new phase of expansion. He said China is willing to expand cooperation in industrial capacity, create more jobs in Pakistan and enlarge the scale of bilateral trade.

On Saturday, Wang met with Pakistani National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser. The Chinese top diplomat said that the two sides' legislative bodies should enhance exchanges so as to promote the friendly exchanges between the two peoples and consolidate the public opinion foundation.

Wang also met with Pakistani Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa Saturday on the CPEC and regional issues, especially the peace process in Afghanistan. Wang said that the Pakistani military is the protector of the China-Pakistan friendship, and the bilateral military relations are an important part of the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries and a symbol of their high political mutual trust.