Mianyang/Shanghai:
President Asif Ali Zardari spent on Sunday elaborating on Pakistan’s strategic partnership with China, touring a flagship defense complex and experiencing the country’s high -speed railroads from first.
The president’s activities are part of his ongoing 10-day state visit to China, which began on Friday and is focused on improving bilateral ties, including the further development of the China-Pakistani economic corridor (CPEC).
In a significant demonstration of Nations’ close defense cooperation, Zardari, constitutionally, visited the supreme commander of the armed forces in Pakistan, Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). This first marked a historic as no foreign head of state had previously visited the complex.
During the tour, the president confirmed that Pakistan and China would continue to expand cooperation in defense production and aviation, which further elaborated on their strategic partnerships in all weather.
He highlighted the critical role of existing projects and noted that J-10 and JF-17 had largely strengthened Pakistan Air Force, a fact that was clearly shown in May 2025’s ‘Marka-E-Haq’ and ‘Operation Bunyanum Marsoos’.
He was informed of Avic’s advanced capabilities, including the J-10C fighter jet, which played a crucial role in recent conflict with India, the co-production of JF-17 Thunder, and progress in the J-20 Stealth 5th Generation Fighter Aircraft.
The president was also informed of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) and integrated command and control systems. Zardari paid tribute to Avic as a symbol of China’s technological advances and the sustained strategic partnership between the two nations.
Earlier in the day, the president traveled from Chengdu to Mianyang with a high -speed train that covered the journey in about half an hour. During the train journey, he was informed of its operations, service, security systems and environmental benefits.
Officials emphasized that China is now operating the world’s largest high -speed train network of over 45,000 kilometers of dedicated tracks carrying more than 2 billion passengers annually by trains running up to 350 km/h.
The president praised China’s results in sustainable and elastic transport, including pollution -free electric progress and the early warning technologies of the earthquake, describing them as a wonder of railway technique.
He noted that such innovations offered valuable lessons to other countries, including Pakistan. President Zardari later arrived in Shanghai on Sunday night, where he was received warmly by Chinese officials.
The Pakistan-China relationship established in 1950 and described as a “strategic cooperative partnership with All-Weather, is also a major economic channel; bilateral trading volume exceeded $ 23 billion in 2024.
China has become Pakistan’s largest weapons supplier, and promoting this partnership, including the $ 64 billion China -Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, is a key focus of the president’s visit, which continues to Xinjiang.
The president was accompanied during today’s events by a delegation, including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) President Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla and the ambassadors of both nations.
