Pakistan President in China for 10-day tour

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has begun a ten-day visit to China, arriving in Chengdu on Friday. His trip comes soon after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir also completed a five-day tour to Beijing, signaling the pace at which Pakistan’s top leadership is engaging with China.

Zardari’s visit, scheduled till September 21, includes attending the opening ceremony of the 2025 Golden Panda International Cultural Forum. He will also travel across key regions including Sichuan province, Shanghai, and Xinjiang. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong welcomed him in Chengdu, marking the importance Beijing attaches to this visit.

The trip is expected to focus on strengthening the Pakistan-China partnership, enhancing cooperation in multiple fields, and advancing joint projects under what both sides call their “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership.” This term, often used by leaders of both nations, highlights how critical Beijing is for Islamabad’s foreign policy, especially amid its economic struggles and shifting regional equations.

The visit also follows a series of recent high-level exchanges. In late August, Prime Minister Sharif and Army Chief Munir attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, where they met President Xi Jinping and reaffirmed commitment to bilateral ties. They also joined the PLA’s military parade marking the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II. Prior to that, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in Islamabad to hold strategic talks with Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership.

Zardari’s presence now extends this chain of engagements, underlining how both nations are carefully recalibrating ties at a time when global and regional dynamics are shifting rapidly. For Pakistan, deepening cooperation with Beijing offers not just diplomatic comfort but also economic and strategic backing that it urgently needs.