China | Pakistan

Islamabad - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official visit to China from May 23 to 25, in what is being seen as a significant diplomatic engagement aimed at further strengthening the longstanding strategic partnership between Islamabad and Beijing.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to visit China from May 23 to 25 for talks aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing cooperation in key sectors, sources said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Thursday spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who briefed him on his recent visit to China and consultations held there on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing would play a “greater role” in ending hostilities in the Middle East during talks with his Iranian counterpart on Wednesday, a week before US President Donald Trump is due to meet Xi Jinping. China is a key customer for Iranian oil, defying sanctions imposed by the United States, and is directly affected by the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, bordered by Iran. Beijing has quietly engaged in efforts to resolve the weekslong crisis and its diplomacy is credited with playing an important role in the fragile ceasefire agreed between Washington and Tehran. China “will work harder to ease tensions and end the fighting, continue to support the launch of peace talks, and play a greater role in restoring peace and tranquillity to the Middle East”, Wang told Iran’s Abbas Araghchi in Beijing. “China considers that a complete cessation of fighting must be achieved without delay, that it is even more unacceptable to restart hostilities, and that continuing to negotiate remai...

President Asif Ali Zardari has returned to Pakistan after concluding a five-day official visit to China, marking another step in strengthening bilateral diplomatic and economic ties.

The commissioning ceremony of the first Hangor-class attack submarine, PNS Hangor, was held in China’s Sanya city, with President Asif Ali Zardari and the naval chief attending the event. President Zardari, who is on a visit to China, participated as the chief guest, while Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf was also present, according to a press release by the Pakistan Navy. President Zardari described the commissioning of Hangor as a historic milestone in the navy’s modernisation, affirming Pakistan’s resolve to maintain a “robust, balanced and credible defence posture”. He affirmed that Pakistan was fully capable of defending its sovereignty, protecting its maritime interests and ensuring the security of its economic lifelines. “The advanced submarine strengthens Pakistan’s maritime defence, protects economic lifelines and reflects strategic partnership with China,” a statement by the Presidency said. The submarine class, named after the PNS Hangor, is a diesel-electric attack submarine with air...

President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday invited Chinese investment into “priority sectors,” particularly alternative energy sources, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. The president arrived in China on Saturday for a week-long visit to the Hunan and Hainan provinces for engagements related to economic and trade cooperation. President Zardari held a meeting with the chief executive officer (CEO) of Hangzhou Jinjiang Group, Wang Jian, in Sanya, where he invited the Chinese company to invest in “priority sectors, including alternate energy, water treatment, and electric vehicle battery systems”, according to Radio Pakistan. The president, according to the report, “noted that Pakistan is actively encouraging foreign investment in various sectors, especially water treatment, electric vehicle battery systems and alternate energy”. “Such partnerships could support sustainable growth and industrial development,” the report said, adding that President Zardari assured the company of “all possible facilitation to foreig...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to visit China in May, in a move aimed at deepening high-level engagement between the two countries.

Pakistan and China on Monday signed three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to strengthen bilateral cooperation in water desalination, agricultural technology, and the tea industry. President Asif Ali Zardari, who is on a week-long visit to China until May 1, witnessed the signing of the MoUs between Pakistani and Chinese entities. The MoUs reflect a focused effort to advance practical collaboration in key sectors. The first MoU was concluded between the Sindh local government and Lucion Environmental Technology Group for collaboration on a seawater desalination project in Karachi, aimed at increasing the city’s water supply. The MoU was signed by Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and Lucion Group’s Chairman Yuhui, also the secretary of the Party Branch. Memon also signed an MoU between the Sindh local government and Long Ping Hi-tech Information Company for cooperation in agricultural technology with the firm’s chairman, Chen Zhixin. The third MoU was signed between Meskay & Femtee Trading Company, H...

Pakistan and China have signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to enhance cooperation in desalination, agricultural technology and the tea industry.

President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday expressed Pakistan’s interest in closer collaboration in seed technology, agricultural research and modern farming practices with China as he met the secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Hunan. The president arrived in China on Saturday for a week-long visit to the Hunan and Hainan provinces for engagements related to economic and trade cooperation. He will remain in Hunan’s Changsha city until Monday, and then travel to Hainan’s Sanya from April 28 to May 1. A press release issued by the President’s Secretariat said Zardari held a meeting with CCP Secretary Shen Xiaoming and also attended a banquet by Hunan Governor Mao Weiming. “The engagement [with Xiaoming] focused on advancing practical cooperation in agriculture, health, education and trade, while reaffirming the enduring strength of Pakistan-China relations,” it stated. President Zardari invited Xiaoming to visit Pakistan in connection with the 75th anniversary celebrations of diplomatic relations betwe...

President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in China just past midnight on Saturday, for a trip where he will attend engagements related to economic and trade cooperation, as well as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). According to a statement from his office, the president arrived in Changsha and was received by Hu Xusheng, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Hunan Provincial People’s Congress. “[The] ambassadors of China in Pakistan and Pakistan in China were also present on the occasion,” the President’s Secretariat said. Earlier in the day, Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider had seen off the president at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, state-run PTV said. According to the Foreign Office (FO), the president will travel to Hunan province’s Changsha from April 25 to 27, and then to Hainan province’s Sanya from April 28 to May 1. “During the visit, the president will hold meetings with provincial leadership to review the full spectrum of Pakistan–China ties, with particular focu...

Changsha/Lahore - President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in Changsha, China, on Saturday night.

The Foreign Office (FO) said on Saturday that Pakistan had successfully launched an indigenous electro-optical satellite from China’s Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre, terming it a “significant milestone”. “The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) has successfully launched its indigenous electro-optical satellite (EO-3) from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre, marking another significant milestone in the nation’s space capabilities,” it said in a statement posted on the social media platform X. “Beyond its core imaging mission, EO-3 carries advanced experimental payloads aimed at validating next-generation space technologies. These include a multi-geometry imaging module for enhanced imaging accuracy, an advanced energy storage system, and an onboard AI-powered data processing unit to enable real-time analysis and intelligent decision support,” it said. It said that the addition of EO-3 to Pakistan’s Earth Observation satellite fleet “significantly enhances national capabilities i...

President Asif Ali Zardari will undertake an official visit to China from April 25 to May 1 at the invitation of the Chinese government.

Two Pakistanis shortlisted for China astronaut corps

China has selected two Pakistani astronauts as candidates for its manned space programme, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday. Both will travel to China for training, and one will participate in a flight mission as a payload specialist and become the first foreign astronaut in China’s space station, CCTV said. Meanwhile, China Daily reported on Wednesday that the astronauts were identified as Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud. The report said the two had passed multiple rounds of selection procedures and will soon come to China to take part in spaceflight training. It quoted the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) as saying that the selection and training of Pakistani astronauts was a “landmark event in the history of China’s space industry”. Separately, in a statement issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) said the astronauts were set to depart for China to “begin advanced astronaut training at the Astronaut Centre...

ISLAMABAD - Pressure on Israel over its military campaign in Lebanon intensified on Tuesday, as Italy suspended defense ties, Spain issued a blunt legal rebuke, and China called for respect for Lebanese sovereignty.

China’s President Xi Jinping met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday, Chinese state media said, as a string of leaders of countries impacted by the Middle East war flock to Beijing. Lavrov joins Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Vietnam’s President To Lam in meeting with Xi this week. The Russian diplomat told a news conference after meeting Xi that Moscow could “compensate” for China’s energy shortages as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains choked by the Iran war. Xi, meanwhile, has sought to position China as a mediator and stable partner in the face of the US- and Israeli-led conflict. Xi told Abu Dhabi’s crown prince on Tuesday that China would play a “constructive role” in promoting peace talks in the Middle East. In talks with Spain’s Sanchez, Xi warned that the world was facing “chaos and turmoil” and “a contest between justice and force”, urging closer cooperation. The Spanish prime minister, meanwhile, welcome...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and China yesterday held extensive consultations on the recently concluded Islamabad talks, as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar engaged in high-level diplomatic exchanges with his Chinese counterpart and the envoy in Islamabad, reaffirming their shared commitment to regional peace and stability.