Chinese and Pakistani officials have pledged to deepen their strategic partnership following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s official visit to China, where leaders released a joint action plan to strengthen political trust, economic ties, security cooperation and popular support between the two countries. Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong said the plan will guide the next phase of all-weather cooperation and highlighted recent bilateral milestones and growing trade links.
During the visit, Prime Minister Shehbaz attended a summit of regional leaders and took part in official commemorations in China. He held talks with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, during which both sides discussed bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues. The visit concluded with the release of the Action Plan to Foster an Even Closer China-Pakistan Community with a Shared Future in the New Era.
Ambassador Jiang described the action plan as a general guideline and roadmap for advancing strategic cooperation, saying it aims to cement stronger political mutual trust, closer economic and trade ties, deeper security cooperation and a firmer popular basis for the relationship. He emphasized that high-level mutual trust remains the cornerstone of China-Pakistan ties, quoting President Xi on the resilient, brotherly and trust-based nature of the relationship.
Prime Minister Shehbaz reaffirmed the depth of the partnership, saying the “ironclad friendship” between the two countries has taken root with the Pakistani people and cannot be shaken. Ambassador Jiang noted that frequent senior-level exchanges between the two capitals have helped both sides reach important common understandings on advancing all-weather strategic cooperation.
Economic cooperation was highlighted as a priority. Quoting President Xi, Ambassador Jiang said China supports Pakistan’s efforts to maintain unity, focus on development and strengthen national capacity, and stands ready to work with Pakistan on advancing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor 2.0 and upgrading the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement. Recent milestones cited by the ambassador include the opening of the New Gwadar International Airport, the operation of a China-donated seawater desalination plant, production activity at the Rashakai Special Economic Zone and the launch of Pakistan’s PRSS-1 satellite from China.
Ambassador Jiang also pointed to expanding trade opportunities, noting that Pakistani exports such as beef, seafood and fruit have gained traction in Chinese markets. He said these developments reflect growing economic integration and a broadening foundation for cooperation between the two countries.
