ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif began a four-day visit to China on Saturday for talks with top Chinese leaders on economic cooperation and the US-Iran conflict, his office said, as Beijing steps up support for Islamabad’s mediation efforts in the Middle East.
The visit comes as Pakistan and China mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations amid growing regional uncertainty triggered by months of conflict between Washington and Tehran, which has disrupted energy markets and raised fears of wider instability around the Strait of Hormuz.
Sharif will travel to Hangzhou in the first phase of his visit to attend a business forum promoting cooperation between Pakistani and Chinese companies under Phase II of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Beijing’s flagship infrastructure and investment program in Pakistan under the Belt and Road Initiative.
“Later, the Prime Minister will depart for Beijing. In Beijing, he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang,” the PM Office said in a statement on Saturday.
“The Prime Minister will also participate in an event marking the 75th anniversary of Pakistan-China diplomatic relations.”
Sharif will meet leading Chinese business executives, visit Alibaba’s headquarters, and attend a ceremony to sign memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on cooperation. He will also visit the China Academy of Agricultural Sciences to strengthen collaboration in the agricultural sector.
The visit also comes as Pakistan and China deepen strategic coordination over the US-Iran conflict, with Beijing emerging as a key diplomatic backer of Islamabad’s mediation efforts between Tehran and Washington.
Pakistan has increasingly positioned itself as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington since the conflict erupted in February following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Pakistani and Chinese governments have jointly promoted a five-point peace initiative calling for dialogue, a ceasefire, protection of civilian and nuclear facilities, safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and adherence to the United Nations Charter.
On Friday, Pakistan’s foreign office confirmed that the US-Iran conflict would also be discussed during Sharif’s meetings in Beijing.
“Pakistan and China have been in close coordination on the standoff in the Middle East and the Gulf,” Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters during a weekly briefing.
