PM Shehbaz holds talks with Chinese leaders and Xi says Pakistan is priority in neighborhood diplomacy
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, CDF Field Marshal Asim Munir and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar pose for a group photo in Beijing. PHOTO: APP
ISLAMABAD:
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday described ties with Pakistan as “unbreakable” and declared that Beijing will always prioritize relations with Islamabad in its diplomacy with neighboring countries, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held extensive talks with Chinese leaders during a high-profile visit to Beijing.
The visit came on the heels of recent trips by US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to Beijing, underscoring China’s growing diplomatic centrality and at the same time Pakistan’s rising geostrategic profile amid rising global tensions and shifting geopolitical alignments.
Meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz at the Great Hall of the People, President Xi said China and Pakistan had forged an “unbreakable traditional friendship” over the past 75 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations.
“Over the past 75 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Pakistan have enjoyed mutual understanding, trust and support,” Xi said, according to the official Chinese readout. “No matter how the international landscape may evolve, China will always prioritize the development of China-Pakistan relations in its diplomacy with neighboring countries,” he added.
President Xi emphasized that Beijing firmly supports Pakistan in safeguarding its “independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity” and pledged closer strategic coordination, deeper security cooperation and expanded collaboration in emerging sectors, including artificial intelligence, agriculture, industry and talent development.
Xi also praised Pakistan’s mediation efforts aimed at ending the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and said China appreciated Islamabad for “demonstrating a proactive spirit and mediating for peace to return to the Middle East.”
The Chinese president urged both countries to maintain close communication and jointly oppose “unilateralism and Cold War mentality,” while promoting “an egalitarian and orderly multipolar world.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz, who was accompanied by Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and senior cabinet members, in his remarks described President Xi as “a great friend of the Pakistani people and also a great friend of all peace-loving humanity.”
Pakistan, he said, remains firmly committed to the One China policy and will continue to support Beijing on all issues related to China’s core interests. He also reiterated Islamabad’s commitment to promoting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and deepening Belt and Road cooperation as both countries prepare to celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Shehbaz held delegation-level talks with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, where the focus was largely on the worsening situation in the Middle East and Pakistan’s ongoing mediation efforts between the United States and Iran.
During the meeting, Shehbaz said the world was going through a “very critical time” and stressed the need for Pakistan and China to “really be together” to restore peace in the region. “I think we have to really be together, so that the world in general is at peace and everything returns to normal, because this crisis has affected not only the economy of the region but the global community,” said the prime minister.
Referring to Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach, Shehbaz revealed that Chief of Defense Forces and Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir had just returned from Tehran after engaging with Iranian and American leaders as part of back-channel mediation efforts. “And he didn’t want to miss this great visit,” the prime minister said, noting that the field marshal had traveled overnight to attend the Beijing meetings.
Shehbaz said Field Marshal Asim had played a “very important role with the Iranian and American leadership”, while Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar remained engaged with his regional counterparts. “We hope and pray to Almighty Allah that peace is restored forever, and a lot of ground has already been covered. Things are going in the right direction,” the prime minister said.
He also thanked President Xi and the Chinese leadership for supporting Pakistan’s efforts to secure peace and a ceasefire, adding that Islamabad fully supported Xi’s four-point peace agenda for the Middle East.
At the beginning of his remarks, Prime Minister Shehbaz thanked the Chinese leadership for the warm reception and noted that each visit to China reflected the country’s rapid transformation and economic progress. He also conveyed his condolences for the recent gas explosion at a coal mine in Shanxi province that claimed at least 82 lives.
Shehbaz called the visit a “critical moment in history” and said the two countries were celebrating 75 years of “glorious friendship and diplomatic relations established by our founding fathers.” He added: “They laid a solid foundation, a solid edifice between our two countries and here we are, trying to take that legacy and move in that direction.”
In his remarks, Premier Li said Pakistan had maintained close communication and coordination, safeguarded common interests and injected positive energy into regional peace. “China is willing to work with Pakistan to seek greater solidarity, carry forward traditional friendship, firmly support each other and continue to expand practical cooperation to achieve more results in building a community with a shared future for the two countries,” he added.
Subsequently, both prime ministers witnessed the signing ceremony of 15 cooperation agreements in multiple areas, including economy, environment and climate change, agriculture and food security, trade, media, science and technology, counterterrorism and education.
At the ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People, government officials from both sides exchanged documents. The two sides also signed a handover letter for the donation of veterinary vaccines, along with protocols on dried fruits, nuts and corn to be exported to China, as well as a letter on cooperation on anti-terrorism equipment.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received a warm reception and guard of honor at the Great Hall of the People. Shehbaz also laid a wreath at the Monument to the People’s Heroes in Tiananmen Square and paid tribute to the fallen heroes of China’s revolutionary struggle.
After their meetings, the prime minister said in a social media post that he had the “warmest and most cordial meeting” with President Xi Jinping in Beijing. “I also appreciated President Xi Jinping’s historic global initiatives, which continue to promote peace, development and shared prosperity around the world,” he said.
“We discussed further deepening strategic coordination, promoting the development of high-quality CPEC and expanding cooperation in industry, agriculture, science and technology, clean energy, digital transformation and space cooperation,” he added.
Prime Minister Shehbaz is on a four-day official visit to China from May 23 to 26, 2026. During the first leg of his visit, he traveled to Hangzhou where he chaired the Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference on IT and Telecom.
(WITH TICKETS FROM APP)
