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Xi meets Sharif in Beijing
Chinese President Xi Jinping met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Monday, hailing China’s “unbreakable” friendship with Pakistan and seeking to deepen their “all-weather” partnership.
“Xi Jinping hailed China's "unbreakable" friendship with Pakistan”
Xi welcomed Sharif as an “old friend” and said, “No matter how the international situation changes, China always prioritises the development of China-Pakistan relations in its neighbourhood diplomacy.”
The meeting came as Pakistan and China marked 75 years of diplomatic relations, with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, and other senior officials present on the Pakistani side.
Shehbaz said Pakistan and China were “proudly celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations,” and he reaffirmed the “iron-brother” relationship while thanking China’s leadership for “the very warm invitation to visit China.”
Mediation praise and quotes
Alongside the diplomatic milestone, the leaders discussed regional tensions, with Xi praising Pakistan’s role in mediating efforts aimed at ending the US-Israel war on Iran.
Xi told Sharif, “No matter how the international situation changes, China always prioritizes the development of China-Pakistan relations in its neighborhood diplomacy,” and the Saudi Gazette said Beijing was willing to work with Islamabad to build a more close-knit China-Pakistan community with a shared future.
Sharif, speaking in Beijing alongside Munir, said, “The world is passing through a critical moment,” and he added, “Things are moving in the right direction.”
In the same meeting, the Express Tribune reported that Shehbaz said Pakistan had played a “very sincere role” in efforts to mediate between the US and Iran as he held high-level talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang focused on regional stability and bilateral cooperation.
What’s at stake next
The sources tied the Beijing talks to the ongoing effort to restore peace and stability in the Middle East, with the Express Tribune saying the prime minister stressed the need for collective efforts to restore stability during a “very critical moment.”
“Pakistan, being a net importer of oil and petroleum products, has also felt the economic impact”
Shehbaz warned that the crisis had impacted both regional and global economies, particularly oil-importing countries such as Pakistan, saying, “Pakistan, being a net importer of oil and petroleum products, has also felt the economic impact.”
The Express Tribune also said the prime minister’s four-day visit runs from May 23-26 and that the trip was expected to highlight a new chapter in the 75-year-old China-Pakistan relationship.
In parallel, the Anadolu Ajansı report said Xi told Sharif that China “commends Pakistan for taking the initiative to play a mediating role in restoring peace in the Middle East,” while reiterating Beijing’s support for Pakistan’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
