President Zardari, Chinese Premier Li Qiang vow strengthening Pak-China cooperation

President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday held a bilateral meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing, with the two sides vowing to strengthen the Pakistan-China strategic cooperative partnership, according to a statement from the President’s House.

The development comes during President Zardari’s ongoing visit to China along with a delegation comprising senior ministers. A day prior, he met Chinese President Xi Jinping, as both sides noted the “positive trajectory” of their bilateral relations.

According to the statement, during his meeting with the Chinese prime minister, President Zardari highlighted the “enduring and deep-rooted China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, nurtured by successive generations of the leaders of both countries.”

He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening bilateral ties, emphasising the time-tested, deep-rooted, and enduring partnership between the two countries.

Zardari also talked about the “pivotal role of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in promoting regional connectivity and economic growth and expressed appreciation for China’s continued support towards Pakistan’s development agenda.”

Beijing has over $65 billion in investment in road, infrastructure and development projects under CPEC as part of the Belt and Road scheme, which is termed a “lifeline” for the country’s economy. In December 2024, Islamabad and Beijing decided to focus on CPEC with fresh commitments.

“The two sides discussed the high-quality development under CPEC 2.0, focusing on deepening cooperation in renewable energy, science & technology, infrastructure, and agriculture sectors to further advance shared progress and common prosperity,” the statement added.

They also discussed the opportunities to enhance trade and economic cooperation through business-to-business (B2B) and private-sector linkages.

“Both sides underlined the importance of expanding people-to-people and cultural exchanges to build a closer China-Pakistan community of shared future in the new era,” the statement said.

President Zardari’s visit to China comes a few days after the Foreign Office (FO) rejected “baseless and unfounded” allegations targeting Pakistan’s commitment to China’s policies following Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s attendance at an event in the United States.

Naqvi reportedly made a diplomatic misstep by attending an event hosted by the New Federal State of China, the US-based political lobby, composed of Chinese dissidents and Americans, that advocates for the overthrow of China’s ruling Communist Party, a major ally of Pakistan.

Numerous statements were later issued by Pakistani officials and the FO reaffirming the relationship with China.