Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif held a most warm and cordial meeting with H.E. President Xi Jinping in Beijing today. The meeting took place in the backdrop of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China.
Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister Sen. Mohammad 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 stated that 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 to 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 had served as Governor from 2002 to 2007.
He further expressed admiration for President Xi’s bold and visionary leadership that had transformed China into a global power.
While expressing his appreciation for China’s support for Pakistan’s ongoing regional peace efforts, the Prime Minister said that President Xi Jinping’s four point proposal for regional peace was widely appreciated.
The Prime Minister stated that amidst the current turbulent times,Pakistan-China friendship and cooperation served 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.
The Prime Minister underscored the need to further deepen strategic coordination, advance high-quality CPEC development and align China’s 15th Five-Year Plan with Uraan Pakistan so as to facilitate wider 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 reflected the growing strength of Pakistan-China cooperation.
President Xi Jinping stated that China and Pakistan had 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 the 75th anniversary into a new phase of strategic, practical and future-oriented cooperation.
