Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, praised China’s role in global peace, stability and development and pledged to strengthen the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.
He was speaking at a reception marking the 77th anniversary of the founding of China. Congratulating President Xi Jinping and the Chinese people, the premier said 2026 was especially significant because it marks 75 years of diplomatic ties.
He said the friendship has survived earthquakes, floods and storms, and called ties with Beijing a cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
The prime minister said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was entering its next phase, CPEC 2.0, focused on industrialization, special economic zones, IT and artificial intelligence, agriculture, and mining.
He called the agriculture program “extremely welcome”: the first 1,000 Pakistani agriculture graduates have finished training in China, and another 1,000 are ready to go.
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Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong thanked PM Sharif for attending despite having returned from an overseas trip only that morning. He called the gesture proof of the premier’s regard for bilateral ties.
Ambassador Jiang credited Pakistan with a growing international role, citing its stints as UN Security Council president and its new rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
He said the prime minister had “firmly defended” national interests in his September 25 address to the UN General Assembly.
The envoy also cited economic figures. Bilateral trade reached $16.44 billion between January and July, up 13.4 percent year-on-year.
Agricultural trade hit about $830 million from January to August, up 45 percent, with Pakistani rice exports to China worth $127 million. Chinese investment, including Hong Kong, made up 60.7 percent of foreign investment in Pakistan.
On Pakistan’s economy, he noted that foreign exchange reserves had climbed to $27 billion, a five-year high. He also pointed to a sharply narrower current account deficit and 80 percent growth in foreign direct investment.
The ambassador outlined five priorities for the partnership:
- Strategic trust and mutual support.
- Practical cooperation, including an upgraded free trade agreement.
- Livelihood projects, including 100 clean water stations, 1,000 smart classrooms and 100,000 school kits in Balochistan.
- Deeper defense and counter-terrorism cooperation.
- Closer coordination on international issues.
He also highlighted China’s economic performance, noting 4.7 percent GDP growth in the first half of 2026. He said the leaders had agreed to build an “even closer” community with a shared future.
