ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to deepening strategic ties with China.
The Pakistani delegation included Field Marshal Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Information Minister Atta Tarar.
Sharif praised China’s achievements under Xi, saying lifting 800 million people out of poverty marked a historic feat and calling the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) a clear example of that vision. He said Pakistan valued China’s friendship and thanked Beijing for continued cooperation through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which he described as the flagship project of bilateral ties.
The meeting followed Sharif’s address to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin a day earlier. He urged member states to respect sovereignty, promote dialogue and diplomacy, and cooperate on equitable access to water resources. He hailed China’s leadership as a model of stability and growth, citing CPEC as an example of shared prosperity. He also congratulated Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan on their national days.
Also Read: Pak China historically and culturally connected: Shehbaz
On security, Sharif rejected all forms of terrorism and accused foreign actors of involvement in recent attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the Jafar Express train bombing. “The world no longer accepts this fictional narrative,” he said, referring to attempts to exploit terrorism for political ends.
