Chinese President Xi Jinping praised the “unbreakable friendship” between China and Pakistan as he met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing on Monday, a day after companies from both countries signed cooperation agreements worth $1.22 billion.
Xi called Sharif an “old friend” and said he wanted to deepen their “all-weather” partnership, adding that he appreciated Pakistan’s mediation efforts in the Middle East during a meeting at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.
An “all-weather partnership” is the highest diplomatic tier in China’s foreign policy and is reserved for countries with which Beijing maintains close economic, trade and security cooperation.
“No matter how the international situation changes, China always prioritises the development of China-Pakistan relations in its neighbourhood diplomacy,” Xi said.
Sharif, in turn, described China and Pakistan as two “iron brother” countries with a relationship that is “next to none”.
Sharif began a four-day official visit to China on Saturday, accompanied by Pakistani government and military officials, including army chief Asim Munir, who has been in Tehran meeting Iranian officials.
Pakistan has played a key role in facilitating contacts between the U.S. and Iran and has hosted mediation talks between the two countries in Islamabad.
For Pakistan, involving China in its mediation efforts is important given Beijing’s close ties with Tehran.
On Sunday, Sharif witnessed the signing of more than $1 billion worth of agreements at the Pakistan-China Business Conference in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, alongside Zhejiang Governor Liu Jie.
Sharif also met representatives of several Chinese companies, including Sheng Huo Neng Yuan Ke Ji, CATL, StarCharge and Xiuzheng Pharmaceutical Group.
Sharif’s visit came as the two countries marked 75 years of diplomatic relations last Thursday. China and Pakistan maintain strong economic, military and trade ties.
The $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a 3,000km (1,900-mile) infrastructure project launched in 2013, aims to link China’s Xinjiang region with Pakistan’s Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea.
The scheme, designed to shorten the route for China’s energy imports from the Middle East, includes the construction of roads, ports, railways and energy infrastructure across Pakistan.
Beijing also supplies Islamabad with 80% of its arms imports, and the two countries have jointly developed the JF-17 Thunder fighter jet, the backbone of Pakistan’s air force, as well as air defence systems.
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