First Trump, Then Putin, Now Pak PM Shehbaz In China: Is Beijing The New Capital Of The World?

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif departs for China on Saturday on a four day state visit that carries far more weight than a routine diplomatic trip. Travelling at the invitation of Premier Li Qiang , Sharif is scheduled to hold separate meetings with both President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang , as the two nations mark a milestone that adds a deeply symbolic dimension to the engagement.

Pakistan and China formally established diplomatic relations on May 21, 1951 , making this visit a centrepiece of celebrations marking 75 years of partnership between the two countries.

Xi Jinping has described the two countries as “good friends and all weather strategic cooperative partners,” calling their friendship “rock solid and unbreakable.”

That bond has rarely been tested more visibly than in early May last year, when India launched Operation Sindoor . As Pakistan sought to defend itself against Indian missiles and drones, it relied on Chinese missile systems and air defence capabilities , alongside US and Chinese origin fighter jets, assets that Islamabad credited with helping thwart attacks on its airbases. The upcoming visit is widely seen as Islamabad’s effort to further consolidate this partnership in the aftermath.

Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will accompany the Prime Minister, and the visit is expected to shape the next phase of bilateral relations. Sharif will begin his engagements in Hangzhou in Zhejiang province , where he will chair the Pakistan China Business to Business Investment Conference, focusing on information technology, telecom, energy, energy storage and agriculture sectors.

A key focus of the trip will be the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) . Pakistan has formally entered the second phase of CPEC , Deputy PM Dar confirmed during a Senate session. CPEC Phase II is focused on industrial cooperation, technology, agriculture and investment. CPEC Phase I delivered around 26 billion dollars in Chinese investment , created 255,000 jobs , added 8,000 megawatts to the national grid and built 600 kilometres of roads and motorways . The next phase is expected to be largely driven by business to business engagement rather than government to government projects.

The visit will also include key institutional discussions under the Pakistan China political forum and the CPEC joint consultative mechanism , with a large multi party parliamentary delegation from Pakistan participating in multiple meetings in Beijing .

Pakistan is also issuing a commemorative 75 rupee coin to mark the anniversary, which will be available to the public from May 25 .

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the two sides will “outline the course for the development of China Pakistan relations under new conditions,” a statement that signals Beijing’s readiness to deepen an alliance that has grown increasingly strategic in a shifting regional environment.