Pakistan and China have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, expanding political cooperation and deepening strategic ties during a series of high-level meetings in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The discussions involved senior leaders and officials from both countries and covered areas of mutual interest, regional security and international developments.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC), at the PM House. During the meeting, Haixing appreciated the growing momentum in political exchanges and cooperation between the ruling parties of Pakistan and China. He also conveyed greetings from the Chinese leadership and reiterated Beijing’s commitment to expanding its partnership with Islamabad.
Welcoming the visiting delegation, Prime Minister Shehbaz described Pakistan-China relations as an ironclad, time-tested and all-weather strategic cooperative partnership. He highlighted the importance of mutual trust, respect and people-to-people connections, while acknowledging the IDCPC’s role in strengthening institutional and political links between the two countries.
The prime minister also discussed opportunities to expand cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, connectivity, information technology and agricultural modernisation. He emphasised that regular leadership-level contacts and exchanges between political parties were important for maintaining strong bilateral relations. Shehbaz later hosted a dinner in honour of Liu Haixing and his delegation.
Earlier, Haixing met Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the meeting covered bilateral relations, matters of mutual interest and changing regional and international security dynamics. Both sides expressed their commitment to further strengthening the strategic partnership between Pakistan and China.
Field Marshal Munir highlighted the longstanding ties between the two countries and stressed the importance of continued high-level engagement, institutional connections and cooperation in areas of shared interest. Haixing appreciated Pakistan’s contributions towards regional peace and stability and expressed confidence in further developing bilateral strategic relations.
Separately, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar highlighted the broad political consensus in Pakistan on maintaining and strengthening relations with China. He made the remarks while co-chairing a symposium on Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building and a seminar on China-Pakistan governance in Islamabad alongside Haixing. Dar discussed the role of political parties in governance, institution-building and national development.
The visit also reflects the importance Beijing places on strengthening political engagement beyond conventional government-to-government relations. The IDCPC serves as China’s main channel for party-to-party diplomacy and maintains contacts with political parties in different countries.
Pakistan and China are also marking 75 years of diplomatic relations, established on May 21, 1951. Over the decades, the two countries have developed cooperation across political, economic, diplomatic and defence sectors. Recent engagements have included commitments under the 2025-2029 action plan, including continued high-level exchanges and expanded cooperation in defence and security.
