President Xi Jinping hailed China’s “unbreakable” friendship with Pakistan on Monday as he met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing, seeking to deepen their “all-weather” partnership.
Xi welcomed the Pakistani leader as an “old friend” at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People and said the two countries had “understood, trusted and supported each other” over decades.
“No matter how the international situation changes, China always prioritises the development of China-Pakistan relations in its neighbourhood diplomacy,” Xi said.
The two leaders agreed to carry forward the historic legacy of Pakistan-China friendship and transform the 75th anniversary into a new phase of strategic, practical and future-oriented cooperation.
The prime minister held a warm and cordial meeting with President Xi Jinping here, in the backdrop of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China, a Prime Minister’s Office news release said.
Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and other senior ministers and government officials were also present.
The prime minister thanked President Xi Jinping for the warm reception and reaffirmed that the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership remains the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy. He stated that the iron-clad friendship between the two countries has assumed even greater strategic importance in the evolving regional and global environment.
The prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s firm support for China on its core interests, including the One China Principle, and expressed appreciation for China’s consistent support to Pakistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, national development, and economic stability.
He further expressed admiration for President Xi’s bold and visionary leadership that had transformed China into a global power.
While expressing his appreciation for China’s support for Pakistan’s ongoing regional peace efforts, the Prime Minister said that President Xi Jinping’s four-point proposal for regional peace was widely appreciated.
The prime minister stated that, amidst the current turbulent times, Pakistan-China friendship and cooperation served as a stabilizing factor in the region and beyond.
The prime minister commended President Xi Jinping’s visionary global initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative, Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative, and Global Governance Initiative. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the vision of a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity.
The prime minister underscored the need to further deepen strategic coordination, advance high-quality CPEC development, and align China’s 15th Five-Year Plan with Uraan Pakistan so as to facilitate wider cooperation in industrialization, connectivity, science and technology, agriculture, clean energy, and digital transformation.
The prime minister noted that the selection of Pakistani astronauts for China’s space station programme reflected the growing strength of Pakistan-China cooperation.
Separately, PM Shehbaz on Monday met Chinese Premier Li Qiang wherein the two countries agreed to maintain close coordination, accelerate implementation of agreed projects and carry forward the Pakistan-China partnership into a new phase of practical, results-oriented and high-quality cooperation.
The prime minister emphasized that the 75th anniversary should be used to translate the historic goodwill between Pakistan and China into practical, people-centred and future-oriented outcomes.
He underlined the importance of regular high-level exchanges and close coordination in carrying forward the bilateral partnership.
He thanked Premier Li Qiang for the warm reception and reaffirmed that the Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership remained the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
The two leaders reviewed the whole spectrum of Pakistan-China relations and expressed satisfaction at the steady growth of bilateral cooperation in political, economic, strategic, security and people-to-people domains.
Prime Minister Shehbaz emphasized that the 75th anniversary should be used to translate the historic goodwill between Pakistan and China into practical, people-centred and future-oriented outcomes.
He underlined the importance of regular high-level exchanges and close coordination in carrying forward the bilateral partnership.
The prime minister underscored Pakistan’s commitment to high-quality development of CPEC and its next phase, with focus on industrialization, connectivity, agriculture, science and technology, digital transformation, clean energy and socio-economic development.
He appreciated China’s consistent support to Pakistan’s national development and economic stability, reaffirming Pakistan’s firm resolve to ensure foolproof security of Chinese nationals, institutions and projects in Pakistan.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the importance of enhanced cooperation in emerging sectors, including space, artificial intelligence and advanced technologies, noting that the selection of Pakistani astronauts for China’s space station programme reflected the growing depth of Pakistan-China cooperation in new and strategic domains.