Pakistan CPEC 2.0 in focus as PM Shehbaz visits China

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Hangzhou on Saturday for an official visit aimed at strengthening ties between Pakistan and China as both countries celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations.

A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry described the visit as an important high-level engagement and said Beijing hoped the two sides would use the occasion to further deepen bilateral cooperation and strengthen their long-standing partnership.

The visit, taking place from May 23 to 26, is expected to focus on expanding cooperation and reinforcing the traditionally close relationship between the two countries, which has remained strong despite changing global circumstances.

Speaking at an event in Islamabad earlier this week, PM Shehbaz praised China’s continued support for Pakistan, saying Beijing had always stood by Islamabad during times of prosperity as well as hardship, including natural disasters and difficult periods.

Over the past 75 years, Pakistan and China have maintained steadily expanding ties.

In 2015, the two countries elevated their relations to an all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and later agreed to build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era.

Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, said the visit reflected Pakistan’s willingness to attract more Chinese private enterprises and inject fresh momentum into bilateral economic cooperation.