Chengdu, September 14, 2025: President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday reaffirmed that Pakistan and China would continue to expand collaboration in defence production and aviation, further deepening their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.
The president made these remarks during his historic visit to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country’s flagship aerospace and defence conglomerate. No foreign head of state had previously toured the AVIC complex, which produces the J-10C fighter jet that played a crucial role in the recent conflict with India.
His visit came on the 128th day since the US-brokered ceasefire with India following a four-day armed confrontation in the wake of a terrorist attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam area.
President Zardari was accompanied by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, First Lady Aseefa Bhutto, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi, and China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong, who is travelling with the president throughout his visit.
The president lauded the J-10 and JF-17 fighter jets for greatly strengthening the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), noting their effectiveness during Ma‘raka-e-Haq and Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, conducted in response to Indian aggression.
Zardari toured the sprawling AVIC facility, meeting Chinese engineers and scientists and receiving a detailed briefing on advanced capabilities, including the co-production of JF-17 Thunder aircraft, development of the J-20 fifth-generation stealth fighter, unmanned aerial vehicles, automated manufacturing units, and integrated command-and-control systems for modern multi-domain warfare.
He praised AVIC as a symbol of China’s technological advancement and a testament to the enduring Pakistan-China strategic partnership.
Separately, the president travelled from Chengdu to Mianyang on a high-speed train, covering the journey in just over half an hour.
During the trip, he was briefed on operational, safety, and environmental features of the service. He commended China’s achievements in sustainable and resilient transport, citing innovations such as pollution-free electric propulsion and earthquake early-warning systems as models for countries like Pakistan.
China now operates the world’s largest high-speed rail network — spanning more than 45,000 km of dedicated track, carrying over 2 billion passengers annually, with trains running at speeds of up to 350 km/h. The network links nearly all major Chinese cities and is regarded as a global benchmark in modern connectivity.
