Pakistan Foreign Office spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch has ruled out the possibility of downgrading the country’s relationship with China in order to improve relations with the United States, saying, “For us, relations with the United States and relations with China are both important.”

China is Pakistan’s all-weather strategic ally, Baloch stated, adding that the country will continue to strengthen this relationship.

When asked about Pakistan’s relations with the US, she said, “We would like to develop this relationship on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect, and non-interference in each other’s domestic affairs.”

Pakistan’s Foreign Office statement comes after US diplomat Donald Lu sought a $101 million assistance package for Pakistan from US Congress, saying, “China is the past in terms of investment, and we are the future.”