China and Pakistan have closed ranks in a symbolic gesture following the souring of Islamabad’s relations with the US over the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Wen Jiabao, China’s premier, provided badly needed public support to Pakistan on Wednesday, assuring Yusuf Raza Gilani, Pakistan’s visiting prime minister, that “no matter what changes might take place in the international landscape, China and Pakistan will remain for ever good neighbours, good friends, good partners and good brothers”.
Mr Gilani in turn massaged Beijing’s ego by saying Pakistan would like to see China take a dominant role in world affairs. “I have no doubt that Chinese sagacity and thought will have a profoundly beneficial impact for the mankind, as a whole. We are happy to see China shape the 21st-century world,” Mr Gilani said in Suzhou in eastern China.