Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday he looked forward to meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping along with other world leaders as he arrived in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also touched down on his first visit[1] after a seven-year gap.
The SCO summit, to be held in the northern port city of China’s Tianjin on Sunday and Monday, will gather[2] more than 20 world leaders in a powerful show of Global South solidarity, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus. Another 16 countries are affiliated as observers or “dialogue partners”.
PM Shehbaz arrived in Tianjin with Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
Terming his visit “historic”, PM Shehbaz said on X today: “I look forward to meeting H.E. 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 […]”
The premier expressed his aim to “enhance regional cooperation, strengthen multilateralism, and advance shared goals for peace and prosperity”.
According to a statement[3] by the Foreign Office (FO), the prime minister would hold meetings with President Xi and Premier Li Qiang, “during which multifaceted dimensions of Pakistan-China bilateral cooperation would be discussed”.
“He would also attend the military parade with President Xi and other world leaders being held in Beijing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the World’s Anti-Fascist War,” the FO added.
PM Shehbaz, as per the statement, would “interact with reputed Chinese businessmen and corporate executives to discuss bilateral trade, economic and investment ties”. He would also address a Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference in Beijing.
The statement highlighted that the visit was a part of leadership-level exchanges between the two countries.
“It manifests the importance attached by the two countries to further deepen their All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, reaffirm support on issues of respective core interests, advance Phase-II of CPEC and maintain regular communication on important regional and global developments,” FO said.
Ahead of Pakistan’s participation in the summit, FM Dar also posted[4] on X, saying: “Pakistan’s all-weather strategic partnership with China is anchored in trust and strategic alignment. We value President Xi’s leadership and initiatives such as the Belt and Road, and the Global Development, Security & Civilisation Initiatives, which continue to transform economies and strengthen regional integration.”
He added: “The SCO has become a pivotal Eurasian platform, advancing cooperation in security, trade, energy, connectivity, and culture under the principles of mutual trust and shared development.”
In today’s multipolar world, FM Dar said, the SCO’s role in promoting multilateralism, stability, and inclusive growth is more vital than ever.
Leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia have been invited to the 25th SCO Heads of State Council.
Last week, the government said[5] that PM Shehbaz’s visit to China will mark the formal launch of the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC-II), focused on industrial cooperation, after a delay of about five years.
“Prime minister’s upcoming visit will mark the formal launch of CPEC Phase-II, with both sides expected to set clear priorities and agree on tangible, measurable outcomes,” an official announcement had said, quoting Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, focal person on the multi-billion-dollar bilateral initiative.
In July, the two countries decided[6] to form technical working groups to explore and implement projects focusing on high-yield cotton seed development, advanced water-saving irrigation technologies, and modern farming techniques.
Modi’s visit after 7-year break
Modi also arrived in Tianjin on his first visit to China since 2018, coming straight after a trip to Japan, which pledged to invest $68 billion in India.
China and India, the world’s two most populous nations, are intense rivals competing for influence across South Asia and fought a deadly border clash[7] in 2020.
A thaw began last October when Modi met[8] with President Xi for the first time in five years at a summit in Russia.
Xi began welcoming leaders, including Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Egyptian Premier Moustafa Madbouly.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is also due to arrive in Tianjin ahead of the summit.
China and Russia have used the SCO — sometimes touted as a counter to the Western-dominated Nato military alliance — to deepen ties with Central Asian states.
Other leaders, including Iranian and Turkish presidents Masoud Pezeshkian and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will also attend the bloc’s largest meeting since its founding in 2001.
Multiple bilateral meetings are expected to be held on the sidelines of the summit.
The Kremlin said on Friday that Putin will discuss the Ukraine conflict with Erdogan on Monday.
Turkiye has hosted three rounds of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine this year that have failed to break the deadlock over how to end the conflict, triggered when Moscow launched its invasion of its pro-European neighbour in February 2022.
Putin will also meet with his Iranian counterpart Pezeshkian to discuss Tehran’s nuclear programme on Monday, a meeting that comes as Iran faces fresh Western pressure.
Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, triggered a “snapback” mechanism on Thursday to reinstate UN sanctions on Iran for failing to comply with commitments made in a 2015 deal over its nuclear programme.
Russia’s foreign ministry warned that the reimposition of sanctions against Iran risked “irreparable consequences”.
Tehran and Moscow have been bolstering political, military and economic ties over the past decade as Russia drifted away from the West.
Relations between them grew even closer after Russia launched its offensive against Ukraine.