President Asif Ali Zardari has thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping for “extending him warm congratulations on his re-election as the President of Pakistan”.

According to a statement issued by the President House, President Zardari “expressed his commitment to working closely with the Chinese President to deepen practical cooperation, strengthen the all-weather partnership, and foster a shared community for the benefit of the two countries”.

In his letter, President Zardari said that Pakistan and China “shared a unique bond forged in the crucible of history and nurtured by mutual respect, understanding, and common views on all global issues”.

He wrote that Pakistan and China were not merely neighbours, but iron-clad brothers fully committed to the success of our All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership.

The President said that President Xi’s unstinting support would remain instrumental in achieving CPEC’s continued development and meeting the two peoples’ shared objectives of progress and prosperity.