President Zardari’s China Visit: Consolidating Ironclad Ties and Deepening Bilateral Cooperation

BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd May, 2026) From April 25 to May 1, 2026, President Asif Ali Zardari paid an official visit to China, with stops in Hunan and Hainan provinces.

This landmark diplomatic trip, held on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations, further reinforces the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two iron-clad allies and injects strong momentum into deepening bilateral practical cooperation.

This was stated by Prof Cheng Xizhong, Senior Research Fellow at the Charhar Institute, a non-governmental Chinese think-tank on diplomacy and international studies based in Beijing.

He remarked that amid profound shifts in the regional and global landscape, China-Pakistan relations have maintained a steady and upward trajectory, underpinned by high-level mutual trust and mutual understanding.

President Zardari’s visit focused on result-oriented cooperation across a wide range of sectors, aiming to translate the profound friendship between the two nations into tangible cooperation outcomes.

In Hunan, the two sides conducted in-depth exchanges on cooperation in modern agriculture, advanced manufacturing and the tea industry, reaching a series of consensus that will effectively boost sub-national economic and trade ties and promote win-win development at the local level.

In Hainan, the two countries further deepened collaboration in maritime security and defense technology.

This move is of great strategic significance for safeguarding the maritime security of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and for advancing regional maritime stability and development, he said.

President Zardari’s visit fully testifies to the unbreakable brotherhood and time-honored friendship between China and Pakistan.

Over the past 75 years, the two sides have always extended firm support to each other on issues involving their respective core interests and major concerns, and their all-round cooperation covering economy, people’s livelihood, security and other fields has brought tangible benefits to the peoples of both countries, laying a solid foundation for the sustained development of bilateral relations.

Prof Cheng opined that looking ahead, this visit will serve as a new starting point to promote the high-quality development and upgrading of the CPEC, and further expand bilateral cooperation in emerging sectors such as digital economy, green energy and high-tech.

China and Pakistan will continue to stand hand in hand, deepen mutual trust and practical cooperation, and work together to build a closer China-Pakistan community of shared future, making relentless efforts to contribute to regional peace, stability and common prosperity.

APP/asg