Mr. Xi Jinping President of the People’s Republic of China, invited Mr. Asif Ali Zardari President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, for a state visit to China from February 4 to 8, 2025. President Zardari will also join the Opening Ceremony of the Ninth Asian Winter Games while in China.
President Xi Jinping and President Zardari held talks in a friendly setting during the visit. They discussed China-Pakistan ties in the current climate. They also talked about global and regional matters of mutual concern. H.E. Mr. Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of China, met with President Zardari. H.E. Mr. Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, also met with him.
During the previous Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting, both parties made key agreements. They pledged to further utilize the JCC’s functions to ensure coherent actions to improve the quality of developments on CPEC.
Pakistan thanked China’s Development Academy for conducting a seminar on CPEC 2.0. The seminar was pivotal for Pakistani officials. It provided insights into China’s developmental strategy and offered valuable learning. Both sides agreed to hold the 14th JCC meeting soon. They will set a date that is acceptable to both parties.
Moreover, both parties reaffirmed that the new alignment of the Karakoram Highway (Raikot-Thakot) is of high significance to the Pakistan-China connectivity. They agreed to achieve a consensus on its funding and execution on a timely basis.
Both parties approved the recent construction and opening of the new Gwadar International Airport. They restated their shared goals to enhance the Gwadar Port so it can obtain its full potential as a multidimensional logistics hub and substantially uplift the local economy by industrial expansion. They also recognize the importance of the Gwadar Port and therefore agreed to strategically use it as a central point for international trade and commerce.
While on the trip, both parties signed over a dozen documents pertaining to cooperation on CPEC, trade, science and technology, people`s well being, media, etc.
