Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a very warm and cordial meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing today.
The meeting took place against the backdrop of 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China.
Deputy Prime Minister 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 said 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 for Pakistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, national development and economic stability.
Having undertaken a successful visit to Hangzhou a day earlier, the Prime Minister commended President Xi’s pivotal role in the development of Zhejiang Province, where he served as Governor from 2002 to 2007.
He further expressed admiration for President Xi’s bold and visionary leadership, which has transformed China into a global power.
While expressing appreciation for China’s support for Pakistan’s ongoing efforts for regional peace, Shehbaz Sharif said President Xi Jinping’s four-point proposal for regional peace was widely appreciated.
He said that amid the current turbulent times, Pakistan-China friendship and cooperation serve 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 pledged to further strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
He underscored the need to further deepen strategic coordination, advance high-quality CPEC development and align China’s 15th Five-Year Plan with Uraan Pakistan to facilitate broader 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 reflects the growing strength of Pakistan-China cooperation.
President Xi Jinping said China and Pakistan have built an “unbreakable traditional friendship” based on mutual understanding, trust and support. He emphasized that China will always prioritize its relations with Pakistan in its neighborhood diplomacy, regardless of international changes.
Both leaders agreed to carry forward the historic legacy of Pakistan-China friendship and transform 75th anniversary into a new phase of strategic, practical and future-oriented cooperation.
