Beijing, February 5, 2025: President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari met with Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, Zhao Leji, reaffirming the deep-rooted and strategic partnership between the two nations.
During their discussions, both leaders emphasized the time-tested and all-weather friendship between Pakistan and China, highlighting the importance of strategic mutual trust as the foundation of their bilateral relationship. They agreed to continue high-level exchanges to further deepen practical cooperation.
A key focus of the meeting was the high-quality development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) 2.0, particularly in the areas of science and technology, renewable energy, infrastructure development, and agriculture. Both sides hailed CPEC as a model of people-centric development, fostering win-win cooperation, shared prosperity, and economic transformation. They also discussed ways to enhance institutional linkages, including parliamentary exchanges and participation in the CPEC Political Parties Joint Consultative Mechanism, to solidify bilateral collaboration.
Separately, Pakistan and China reiterated their commitment to CPEC 2.0 during the fifth meeting of the CPEC Joint Working Group on International Cooperation and Coordination (JWG-ICC) in Beijing. The meeting, co-chaired by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch, reviewed the progress made since the last session held in Islamabad in January 2024.
Vice Foreign Minister Sun highlighted the alignment of the five new corridors under CPEC 2.0—Growth, Livelihood, Innovation, Open, and Green Corridors—with Pakistan’s national development framework centered on the “5 Es”: Exports, E-Pakistan, Energy, Environment, and Equity.
The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration in special economic zones, media and cultural exchanges, and people-to-people linkages. The discussions aimed at accelerating efforts to build a China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future in the New Era, fostering greater regional connectivity and inclusive development.
This meeting further underscored Pakistan and China’s unwavering commitment to mutual growth and long-term strategic cooperation, with CPEC serving as the cornerstone of their economic partnership.
