[PF:165944] China to stand by Pakistan as US won’t give ‘blank cheque’

As new US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta on Tuesday said the US would not give a "blank cheque" to Pakistan until it went full throttle against terrorists, Pakistan's old and trusted friend China pledged its support for Islamabad.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters that "Pakistan is an important country in South Asia. The stability and development of Pakistan is closely connected with the peace and stability of South Asia.". "China has always provided assistance to Pakistan, helping it improve people's livelihood and realise the sustainable development of its economy and society. China will continue to do so in the future."

Talking tough: Meanwhile, Panetta said, "We have to show that this is a two-way street, not just a one-way street. They have some obligations. They've got to help us be able to go after some of the targets we've assigned them; they've got to be able to give us their cooperation." "And they've got to know that we're not going to give out a blank cheque until they show that this is a two-way relationship," Panetta said.

He said Pakistan was a country where al Qaeda had found a safe haven. "We're fighting al Qaeda in their country. Strategically, they're an important country, particularly because they have nuclear arms. So for all those reasons, we've got to maintain the relationship," he said. Separately, Pentagon spokesman Dave Lapan said the US would continue to hold back its military aid to Pakistan till the time Islamabad goes full throttle in the war against terror. "(The delay is) directly tied to those decisions by the Pakistani military to curtail training and to not grant visas for some of the US personnel that we need to get in. If those things change, then this aid will change as well," he said.

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