PM Shehbaz holds talks with Chinese leaders, Xi says Pakistan has priority in neighborhood diplomacy
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, CDF Field Marshal Asim Munir and DPM 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 would always prioritize relations with Islamabad in its diplomacy with neighboring countries, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held wide-ranging talks with the Chinese leadership 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 growing geostrategic profile amid rising global tensions and shifting geopolitical realignments.
Meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz in 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 stressed that Beijing strongly supported Pakistan in securing its “independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity” and promised closer strategic coordination, deeper security cooperation and expanded cooperation in new sectors including artificial intelligence, agriculture, industry and talent development.
Xi also praised Pakistan’s mediation efforts aimed at ending the ongoing Middle East conflict, saying 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 the Cold War mentality” while promoting “an equal 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, remained firmly committed to the one-China policy and would continue to stand with Beijing on all issues concerning China’s core interests. He also reiterated Islamabad’s commitment to promoting China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and deepening Belt and Road cooperation as both countries prepare to celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Shehbaz held delegation-level talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, with the focus largely remaining on the deteriorating situation in the Middle East and Pakistan’s ongoing mediation efforts between the US and Iran.
Addressing the meeting, Shehbaz said the world was passing through a “very critical moment” and stressed the need for Pakistan and China to “really come together” to restore peace in the region. “I think we really need to be together so that the world as a whole is at peace and business as usual starts again because this crisis has hit not only the economy of the region but the global community,” the Prime Minister said.
Referring to Pakistan’s diplomatic overtures, Shehbaz revealed that Defense Chief and Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir had just returned from Tehran after engaging both Iranian and US leaders as part of backchannel mediation efforts. “And he didn’t want to miss this big visit,” the prime minister noted, noting that the field marshal had left overnight to attend the Beijing meetings.
Shehbaz said Field Marshal Asim had played a “very important role back and forth with the Iranian leadership and the US leadership” while Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar remained engaged with regional counterparts. “We hope and pray to Allah Almighty that peace will be restored forever and lots of ground has already been covered. Things are moving 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 Middle East peace agenda.
Beginning 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 offered condolences over the recent gas explosion at a coal mine in Shanxi province that killed at least 82 people.
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 strong foundation, a strong 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 ready to work with Pakistan to pursue greater solidarity, carry forward traditional friendship, firmly support each other and keep expanding practical cooperation to deliver more results in building a society with a shared future for the two countries,” he added.
Later, both Prime Ministers attended the signing ceremony of 15 agreements on cooperation in several areas, including economy, environment and climate change, agriculture and food security, trade, media, science and technology, counter-terrorism and education.
At the ceremony in the Great Hall of the People, government officials from both sides exchanged documents. The two sides also signed a letter of transfer for the donation of veterinary vaccines, along with protocols on dried fruit, nuts and corn to be exported to China, as well as a letter of cooperation on anti-terrorism equipment.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was accorded a warm welcome and a guard of honor at the Great Hall of the People. Shehbaz also laid a wreath at the People’s Heroes Monument in Tiananmen Square and paid tribute to the fallen heroes of China’s revolutionary struggle.
After his meetings, the prime minister said in a social media post that he had the “most warm and cordial meeting” with President Xi Jinping in Beijing. “I also appreciated President Xi Jinping’s landmark global initiatives, which continue to promote peace, development and shared prosperity around the world,” he said.
“We discussed further deepening strategic coordination, promoting high-quality CPEC development 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 & Telecom.
(WITH INPUTS FROM APP)
