The Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Beijing, Feb 6 (DNA):1. At the invitation of H.E. Mr. Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, paid a state visit to China from February 4 to 8, 2025. During his stay in China, President Zardari will also attend the Opening Ceremony of the Ninth Asian Winter Games.
During the visit, President Xi Jinping held talks with President Zardari in a warm and friendly atmosphere. They had an in-depth exchange of views on China-Pakistan relations under the new situation and on the international and regional issues of mutual interests. H.E. Mr. Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, and H.E. Mr. Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, met with President Zardari respectively.
2. The two sides agreed that the China-Pakistan All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership is a choice by history and by the people, and enjoys broad support from all walks of life in both countries. Having withstood the test of changing international circumstances, the enduring partnership and iron-clad friendship between China and Pakistan transcends geopolitical interests and is an important positive factor for regional peace, stability and development. The two sides have always understood and supported each other, and have been deepening strategic mutual trust and practical cooperation.
The two sides noted that while the transformation not seen in a century is accelerating, the China-Pakistan relationship remains of strategic significance, and any attempt to disrupt or undermine it is bound to fail. The Chinese side reiterated that the China-Pakistan relationship is a priority in its foreign relations and of special significance in China’s foreign policy. The Pakistani side underscored that the Pakistan-China relationship is the cornerstone of its foreign policy. The two sides will further deepen high-level political mutual trust, high-level practical cooperation, high-level security cooperation and high-level international coordination, accelerate efforts to build an even closer China-Pakistan Community with a Shared Future in the New Era, and contribute greater strength to common prosperity of the two countries and to peace and development of the region.
3. The Pakistani side highly commended and expressed strong support for the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative put forth by President Xi Jinping. The two sides agreed to step up international cooperation in this regard to jointly tackle global challenges and foster a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind.
4. The Pakistani side spoke highly of the great development achievements made by Chinese people under the guidance of the Communist Party of China and expressed firm support for the Chinese side in advancing the great cause of building a great modern socialist country in all respects and realizing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese modernization. The Chinese side gladly noted Pakistan’s National Economic Transformation Plan (Uraan), applauds the new achievements attained by Pakistan in economic reform and national development and wishes Pakistan stability, security, development and prosperity.
5. The two sides reaffirmed their unyielding support for each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns. The two sides stressed that the authority of the U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758 brooks no question or challenge. The Pakistani side reaffirmed its firm commitment to the one-China principle. It is of the view that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China and the Taiwan question is the core of China’s core interests. It firmly supports all efforts made by China to achieve national reunification and resolutely opposes all forms of “Taiwan independence.” Pakistan will also firmly support China on issues related to Xinjiang, Xizang, Hong Kong and the South China Sea.
The Chinese side reiterated its firm support for Pakistan in defending its national sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, and its support for Pakistan’s efforts to safeguard national security, stability, development and prosperity.
6. The two sides agreed to strengthen high-level interactions, enhance exchanges and cooperation across various departments and at different levels between central governments, local authorities, legislative bodies and political parties, and carry out in-depth exchanges of governance experience.
7. The Pakistani side reiterated its strongest condemnation of the terrorist attacks in Pakistan involving Chinese personnel. It reaffirmed that ensuring the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan is the foremost responsibility of Pakistani government as China’s All-weather Strategic Cooperative partner and the host country. The Chinese nationals in Pakistan have made important contributions to Pakistan’s national construction and the improvement of people’s livelihoods and serve as a strong force helping boost Pakistan’s development, progress and prosperity. The Pakistani side expressed its sincere gratitude to the leadership and the people of China for their longstanding and invaluable support to Pakistan.
The two sides reiterated their commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations with a zero-tolerance attitude, and agreed to further strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation on counter terrorism. The Pakistani side will continue to make all efforts to investigate into the terrorist attacks involving Chinese personnel and bring the perpetrators to justice. It will also further increase input into security, and take targeted and enhanced measures to effectively ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan, and create a safe environment for cooperation between the two countries. The Chinese side spoke highly of Pakistan’s unremitting efforts and tremendous sacrifices in combating terrorism, and expressed its willingness to provide necessary support for Pakistan’s counter terrorism capacity building.
8. The Pakistani side spoke highly of the Belt and Road Initiative put forth by President Xi Jinping. The two sides agreed to promote the implementation of the eight major steps on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation in Pakistan and jointly build a growth corridor, a livelihood-enhancing corridor, an innovation corridor, a green corridor and an open corridor, to create an upgraded version of CPEC, in line with Pakistan’s 5Es framework.
Recalling the 13th CPEC Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting, the two sides are committed to further leverage the JCC’s functions to strengthen alignment of ideas and coordination of actions for high-quality CPEC development. The Pakistani side appreciated the Chinese side for the successful holding of the seminar on creating an upgraded version of CPEC which helped the Pakistani officials learn the first-hand experience of China’s development and offered the Pakistani side valuable learning opportunity. The two sides agreed to hold the 14th JCC meeting as early as possible at a mutually agreed date.
9. The two sides reaffirmed that, in accordance with the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, efforts will be made to advance the upgradation of ML-1 in a phased and secure manner. The two sides reiterated that the Karakoram Highway (Raikot-Thakot) realignment project is of great importance to the land connectivity between China and Pakistan, and agreed to reach an early consensus on its implementation and financing.
The two sides welcomed the official inauguration of the new Gwadar International Airport, reaffirmed their commitment to promoting the comprehensive development and operation of the Gwadar Port to further leverage its role as a multimodal logistics hub to boost local economic growth through industrial development. Recognizing the significance of the Gwadar Port, both sides agreed to optimally utilize its potential as a key hub of connectivity and trade.
10. The Chinese side reiterated its support to Pakistan’s industrialization and development of export-oriented industries. It encourages Chinese companies to invest in Pakistan’s qualified Special Economic Zones based on market and business principles. The Pakistani side reiterated its commitment to continuing to improve its business environment and provide a favorable policy framework for Chinese investment. The two sides welcome active participation of third parties in CPEC cooperation.
11. The two sides expressed their willingness to encourage Chinese companies to engage in investment and cooperation in Pakistan’s mining industry, and encourage relevant departments of both countries to carry out terrestrial and marine geological survey cooperation. The Pakistani side welcomes Chinese companies’ participation in offshore oil and gas explorations.
12. The two sides agreed to further strengthen agricultural cooperation and select next batch of projects under the CPEC framework.
13. The Pakistani side expressed appreciation for China’s important contributions to alleviating power shortages in Pakistan. The two sides agreed to strengthen exchanges in improving efficiency and management of the power system in Pakistan.
14. The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation on information technology and promote policy and talent exchanges in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, big data and communication technology. The Chinese side would encourage its technology companies to actively expand their businesses in Pakistan to accelerate Science & Technology cooperation in the high-quality development of CPEC’s second phase and develop an innovation corridor.
15. The two sides agreed to conduct further consultation on trade liberalization under the framework of the Phase-II of China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, and actively explore the possible bilateral concessional arrangements based on the spirit of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. The Chinese side welcomes Pakistani enterprises to make full use of platforms such as the China International Import Expo and the China-South Asia Expo to expand exports to China.
The two sides noted with satisfaction their ongoing collaborative efforts to leverage joint ventures in priority areas to enhance the export-oriented industry in Pakistan and encouraged Chinese companies with capabilities to invest in these sectors under the concept of win-win cooperation. The two sides agreed to strengthen joint support for Business-to-Business (B2B) cooperation in both countries and facilitate deeper exchanges and cooperation between business communities of the two countries.
The Pakistani side reiterated its high appreciation for China’s valuable support for the fiscal and financial stability of Pakistan. Both sides reaffirmed their desire to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in the financial and banking sectors, and support each other within regional and international multilateral financial platforms.
16. The two sides emphasized that the China-Pakistan cooperation opens to all regions in Pakistan and aims to benefit all Pakistani people. They agreed to continue to carry out cooperation on people’s livelihood in areas such as healthcare, agriculture, education, climate response, and disaster prevention and alleviation, and to deliver more “small and beautiful” projects beneficial for the people. The Pakistani side spoke highly of the children’s congenital heart disease treatment project and health kits project carried out by the Chinese side in Pakistan. The two sides discussed ways to deepen cooperation in health sector, including in traditional and herbal medicine. Both sides agreed to further enhance human resources development cooperation under the Global Development Initiatives.
17. The Pakistani side thanked the Chinese side for training Pakistan’s agriculture professionals and IT professionals. The two sides agreed to expand cooperation in areas such as education, media, think tanks, youth, films and television to strengthen the bond between the two peoples and enhance mutual learning between civilizations. The Chinese side expressed the readiness to actively support Pakistani students in learning the Chinese language as well as to explore avenues for promoting technical and vocational training.
18. The two sides expressed satisfaction at the existing level of cooperation in space and agreed to advance and pursue further progress in this important area for socio-economic purpose.
19. The two sides underscored that strategic defence and security cooperation between China and Pakistan plays an irreplaceable and critical role in maintaining peace, stability and strategic balance in the region. The two sides expressed satisfaction that the two militaries have long enjoyed high-level of mutual trust, high-level cooperation, and high-level coordination. The two sides agreed to maintain the momentum of high-level military-to-military visits and exchanges, and to continuously elevate cooperation in areas of joint training, exercises and military technology.
20. The two sides believe that a peaceful and prosperous South Asia is in the common interest of all parties and reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in South Asia and the need for resolution of all outstanding disputes, and their opposition to any unilateral action. The Pakistani side briefed the Chinese side on the latest developments in the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The Chinese side reiterated that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is left over from history and should be properly and peacefully resolved in accordance with the U.N. Charter, relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements.
21. The two sides stressed that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations and the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and to true multilateralism. The two countries continue to advocate for dialogue over confrontation, partnerships over alliances and multilateralism over unilateralism and protectionism. They expressed satisfaction with their close cooperation at the U.N. and other multilateral fora, and expressed resolution to further deepen coordination on multilateral issues to uphold common interests of developing countries and international equity and justice.
The two sides agreed to maintain close communication and coordination on the issue of Afghanistan, and play a constructive role in helping Afghanistan achieve stable development and integrate into the international community. The two sides reiterated their commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations with a zero-tolerance attitude. They called on the Interim Afghan Government to take visible and verifiable actions to dismantle and eliminate all terrorist groups based in Afghanistan which continue to pose a serious threat to regional and global security, and to prevent the use of Afghan territory against other countries.
22. The two sides welcome the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and hope that the agreement will be implemented effectively, leading to a full and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The two sides reaffirmed their support for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including their right to establish an independent State of Palestine. The two sides will work with international community to make unremitting effort for peace and stability in the Middle East.
23. During the visit, the two sides signed more than a dozen documents covering cooperation on CPEC, trade, science and technology, people’s livelihoods, and media, etc.
24. President Zardari expressed appreciation to President Xi Jinping and the Chinese government and people for the warm hospitality extended to him and his delegation, and invited President Xi Jinping to visit Pakistan at a mutually-convenient time. The two sides agreed to maintain communication on the matter through diplomatic channels.
