Pakistan and China are working together to establish a new organisation that could replace the now-defunct South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Islamabad, Beijing explore alternative to defunct SAARC

According to the Pakistan-based newspaper, The Express Tribune, Islamabad and Beijing are already in an advanced stage of talks, considering the need for a new organisation focused on regional connectivity and integration, news agency PTI reported.

A recent trilateral meeting was held involving Pakistan, China and Bangladesh on June 19 in China’s Yunnan. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 9th China-South Asia Exposition and the 6th China-South Asia Cooperation Forum. It was attended by Bangladesh’s acting foreign secretary Ruhul Alam Siddique, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, and Pakistan’s Additional Secretary (Asia Pacific) Imran Ahmed Siddiqui. Pakistan’s foreign secretary to China, Amna Baloch, participated via video link, as reported by Daily Star.

‘Inaugural meeting of the trilateral mechanism’

As reported by The Daily Star, Bangladesh called it an “informal meeting”, Pakistan termed it as “the inaugural meeting of the trilateral mechanism”.

In their statements, China and Pakistan stated that the three sides agreed to explore and implement cooperation projects in areas such as trade, maritime affairs, climate change, agriculture, human resources, education, and culture.

‘We maintain constant watch’

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said that it is keeping a constant watch on developments in India’s neighbourhood, especially in light of the recent trilateral meeting involving China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

Speaking at a press briefing, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We maintain a constant watch on the developments in our neighbourhood that have a bearing on our interests and our security, our relations with individual countries, while they stand on their own footing, take into account the evolving context as well.”