On the afternoon of June 7, 2024, President Xi Jinping met with Pakistan's Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, who is paying an official visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Pakistan are good neighbors linked by the same mountains and rivers, good friends with mutual trust, good partners supporting each other through thick and thin, and good brothers sharing weal and woe. The China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership has continuously deepened and enjoyed solid public support with a strong internal driving force and broad prospects for development. China stands ready to work with Pakistan to firmly support each other, strengthen the bond of cooperation, deepen strategic coordination, accelerate the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, and make greater contributions to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity.
Xi Jinping stressed that the key to the ever-strengthening ironclad friendship between China and Pakistan lies in mutual understanding, a high degree of trust and firm support between the two sides at all times. He thanked Pakistan for its long-term and firm support for China on issues related to China's core interests and major concerns. China will, as always, firmly support Pakistan in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions, and in resolutely combating terrorism. China is ready to synergize the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with Pakistan's development plans, carry out cooperation in agriculture, mining, public wellbeing and other areas in accordance with local conditions, and jointly develop five major corridors for growth, better life, innovation, green development and openness, with focus on building an upgraded version of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), so as to promote deeper and more substantive progress in the high-quality cooperation on CPEC and help boost Pakistan's economic and social development. Xi expressed the hope that Pakistan will continue to create a safe, stable and predictable business environment and effectively protect the safety of Chinese nationals, projects and institutions in Pakistan. China is ready to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Pakistan in the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and other multilateral mechanisms, to jointly promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, focus on the development agenda, address security challenges, improve global governance, safeguard the common interests of developing countries, and uphold international fairness and justice.
Shehbaz Sharif said that under the wise leadership of President Xi Jinping, China has made remarkable achievements in poverty alleviation, anti-corruption and development. President Xi Jinping's vision and outstanding leadership are sincerely admired and applauded by the people of Pakistan and the rest of the world. Bearing in mind the well-being of all humanity, President Xi Jinping, has worked actively to promote world peace, and advocate dialogue over confrontation, and has put forward the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative. These initiatives have provided strategic guidance for solving the problems facing the world today and advancing the building of a more peaceful and better world, which Pakistan highly appreciates and fully supports. The CPEC has strongly promoted Pakistan's national development and brought tangible benefits to the Pakistani people. Pakistan will learn from China's governance experience, and work with China to carry forward the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and deepen practical cooperation in various fields. He once again expressed the Pakistani government’s deep condolences for the loss of Chinese lives in the terrorist attack in Dasu in March this year, and noted that the Pakistani government will resolutely crack down on and severely punish the terrorists involved and take practical and effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals and institutions in Pakistan. Shehbaz Sharif reiterated his belief that no force can stop China's development and growth or shake the ironclad friendship between Pakistan and China. Pakistan will steadfastly remain China's most reliable friend and partner. The one-China principle is an unwavering commitment of the Pakistani government, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. Pakistan will continue to firmly support China's position without any hesitation on the Taiwan question and all other issues concerning its core interests, including those related to Xizang, Xinjiang and the South China Sea.
Wang Yi and Zhang Youxia attended the meeting.
