Islamabad, August 30, 2025: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Tianjin, China on Saturday to attend the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State Meeting, the largest gathering of the bloc since its founding in 2001.
The premier will also participate in Beijing’s 80th anniversary commemoration of China’s victory over Fascism in World War II, including a military parade alongside President Xi Jinping and other world leaders.
During his three-day visit, PM Shehbaz is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with President Xi, Premier Li Qiang, and other heads of state to advance regional cooperation, strengthen multilateralism, and promote shared prosperity.
He will also meet leading Chinese business leaders, deliver an address at the Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference in Beijing, and push forward the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Accompanying the prime minister are Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, and Adviser Tariq Fatemi.
In a post on X before his departure, Shehbaz wrote: “I look forward to meeting HE President Xi Jinping and other world leaders to further build upon our bilateral ties with China, our All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partner, as well as with other key countries of the region.”
This year’s SCO summit, themed “Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move,” will run from August 31 to September 2 in Tianjin. Leaders are expected to deliberate on regional security, trade, economic cooperation, connectivity, and the bloc’s long-term strategy.
Participants include Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian PM Narendra Modi, and leaders from Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, in a separate post, highlighted Pakistan’s “all-weather strategic partnership with China, anchored in trust and alignment,” adding that the SCO had become a vital platform for Eurasian cooperation in security, energy, trade, and culture.
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also landed in Tianjin today — his first visit to China in over seven years — where he is expected to meet President Xi on the sidelines of the SCO summit.
