No pressure on Pak to choose between US, China: State Dept

WASHINGTON: The United States welcoming the progress that has been made between the IMF and Pakistan in having reached a staff-level agreement said that there is no pressure on Pakistan to choose between us or China.

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller while briefing the newsmen in Washington on Tuesday said our support for the Pakistan’s economic success is unwavering and we will continue to engage with Pakistan through technical engagements and continue to strengthen our trade and investment ties, all of which are priorities for our bilateral relationship.

“We believe Pakistan has a lot of hard work ahead to be on a long-term sustainable path to economic recovery and prosperity, but we will continue to stand by them through that process,” he said.

Replying to a question, he said that the United States does not ask Pakistan or any other country to choose between the United States and China or to choose between the United States and any other country. “Our relations with Pakistan build on our close people-to-people ties, and we will continue to seek ways to expand our partnership and economic ties,” he said.

He said that our economic cooperation with Pakistan reflects our vision for the region as one of – comprised of nations that are independent, strong, and prosperous and our relationships are based on a spirit of respect and partnership.