Beijing:Chinese President Xi Jinping has told Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa that those who oppose the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) or the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will never succeed as this is an initiative of peace and development not only for China but for the whole region and beyond.

Asserting that China always places a high premium on Beijing-Pakistan relations, Mr Xi said the two countries were ‘iron friends’, a report in Chinese state news agency Xinhua SAID on Thursday.

General Bajwa met Mr Xi on a special invitation and they discussed regional security environment, challenges and way forward.

Mr Xi expressed his appreciation for the support and security safeguards provided by Pakistan for the BRI and the CPEC construction.

The Chinese President said as long as concrete measures are in place, the CPEC construction will succeed and deliver benefits to people of the two countries.