China congratulates Pak's new PM

China today congratulated Pakistan's new Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and hoped that he will continue to work towards maintaining national unity and stability and boosting economic and social development.
Abbasi was sworn in last evening shortly after the parliament elected him with a clear majority. He belongs to Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party.
The Supreme Court on Friday disqualified 67-year-old Sharif for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children over the Panama Papers scandal, forcing him to resign from the post of prime minister.
"China is convinced that the Pakistani government under the leadership of Abbasi will continue to work towards maintaining national unity and stability and boosting economic and social development," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said.

Geng said China would work with Pakistan to keep rapid growth of bilateral relations and build the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.