ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is scheduled to travel to China to co-chair the seventh round of the Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue on Jan. 4, as the two countries seek to deepen cooperation across economic, security and regional issues, the foreign office said on Wednesday.
Dar will co-chair the forum in Beijing with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
The Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue serves as the highest consultative mechanism between the two sides, providing a platform to review the full spectrum of bilateral ties and align positions on regional and international developments.
It brings together senior officials to coordinate policy on diplomacy, security, defense cooperation and long-term economic planning, reflecting the breadth of what both sides describe as an “all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.”
“During the Dialogue, the two Foreign Ministers will ... announce a series of initiatives and commemorative activities to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China in 2026,” the foreign office said.
The talks are also expected to include discussions on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative that has underpinned bilateral cooperation since its launch in 2015.
CPEC has focused on infrastructure, energy projects and connectivity linking western China to Pakistan’s Arabian Sea coast.
In recent years, both countries have shifted toward what officials describe as “CPEC 2.0,” which emphasizes industrial cooperation, special economic zones, agriculture, technology transfer and job creation, moving beyond large-scale infrastructure to more sustainable and growth-oriented investments.
Beyond economics, China and Pakistan maintain close strategic ties that span defense, security and military cooperation, including joint development of military hardware, arms sales and regular defense exchanges. Beijing has been a key supplier of military equipment to Pakistan, while the two countries frequently discuss regional security issues.
Dar’s visit forms part of regular high-level exchanges between the two governments and comes at a time of shifting regional dynamics in South and Central Asia.
