ISLAMABAD, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday appreciated support from the Chinese government and military to his country to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Chinese embassy.

The Pakistani army chief made the remarks during his meeting with a Chinese military medical expert team in Rawalpindi, hailing the Chinese team's tireless work in Pakistan by sharing their knowhow on controlling and preventing the coronavirus and helping the Pakistani side improve its preventing system.

Bajwa said Pakistan and China are all-weather strategic partners and have the tradition to firmly stand shoulder by shoulder in testing times. Calling China a backbone force in the international community in curbing COVID-19, he said China is extending a helping hand to other countries to fight against the disease.

Zhou Feihu, head of the Chinese military medical team, introduced the team's two-month work in Pakistan and said the Pakistani army is playing an important role in stopping the spread of the infectious disease in the country.

Zhou also hoped that local communities could strictly follow all standard operation procedures made by the government so as to overcome the pandemic and restore local economy in an early date.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing said during the meeting that the Chinese leadership, government and military attach great importance to the China-Pakistan relations and will continuously provide support to Pakistan in terms of pandemic prevention and economic restoration.

The 10-member military expert team arrived in Pakistan on April 24 to join Pakistan's efforts to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.