Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese Premier Li Qiang reaffirmed their commitment to expanding bilateral cooperation, accelerating CPEC projects and strengthening ties in technology, security and economic development.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Monday, where the two leaders witnessed the signing of several memorandums of understanding and agreements aimed at expanding Pakistan-China cooperation across multiple sectors.
The high-level meeting took place as Pakistan and China mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Prime Minister Sharif thanked Premier Li Qiang for the warm reception and reiterated that Pakistan’s long-standing strategic cooperative partnership with China remains a cornerstone of Islamabad’s foreign policy.
The prime minister said the “iron friendship” between Pakistan and China is built on mutual trust, strategic cooperation, peace, development and a shared commitment to prosperity.
Both sides reaffirm support on core interests
During the meeting, both leaders reiterated their commitment to fully support each other on issues related to their core national interests.
The two sides reviewed all aspects of bilateral relations and expressed satisfaction over the continued growth of cooperation in political, economic, strategic, security and people-to-people exchanges.
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Prime Minister Shehbaz and Premier Li Qiang agreed that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has played a transformative role in Pakistan’s socio-economic development.
Both leaders expressed determination to accelerate the implementation of the next phase of CPEC, which will focus on industrialisation, bilateral trade, agriculture, science and technology, digital transformation, clean energy and socio-economic development.
Cooperation in emerging technologies
The PM stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation in emerging sectors including artificial intelligence, advanced technologies and space exploration.
He said the selection of Pakistani astronauts for China’s space station programme reflects the growing depth of Pakistan-China cooperation.
Security of Chinese citizens
Prime Minister Sharif appreciated China’s continued support for Pakistan’s economic stability and national development. He also reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to ensuring foolproof security for Chinese citizens, institutions and projects working in the country.
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The prime minister emphasized the need to use the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to transform historic goodwill into practical, people-centric and future-oriented cooperation.
He highlighted the importance of high-level exchanges and close coordination to further strengthen bilateral relations.
Synergy between development plans
The prime minister also underlined the importance of aligning China’s 15th Five-Year Plan with Pakistan’s “Udan Pakistan” development framework to accelerate development priorities and expand mutually beneficial cooperation.
The two sides agreed to maintain close coordination, speed up implementation of agreed projects and move the Pakistan-China partnership into a new phase of high-quality and practical cooperation.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir participated in the meeting alongside the prime minister.
Federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Tanvir Hussain, Attaullah Tarar, Shaza Fatima Khawaja and Hanif Abbasi were also present, along with Adviser to the Prime Minister Haroon Akhtar and other senior officials.
