PM Shehbaz hails Beijing’s role in promoting global peace as Pakistan marks China’s National Day

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday hailed China's “extremely important” role in promoting global peace, stability and development and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening its all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with Beijing. Addressing a ceremony marking the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the prime minister said it was a pleasure for him to attend the National Day event and extended his “heartfelt congratulations” to Chinese President Xi Jinping and the people of China. He described the occasion as a day to pay tribute to the perseverance, unity and indomitable spirit of the Chinese nation. Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening its all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China, describing the enduring bilateral friendship as a bond built on mutual trust, unwavering support and deep affinity… pic.twitter.com/r9DnITtx0U — Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) September 30, 2026 “China has an extremely important role in global peace, stability and development,” he said. Under the “far-sighted leadership” of President Xi, China had made unprecedented progress in human development, science, technology and innovation, the prime minister said. He said 2026 held “special significance” in the shared journey of Pakistan and China, as the two countries were celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations. 2/2 The ambassador also highlighted the expansion of practical economic cooperation, saying bilateral trade reached $16.44 billion from January to July, up 13.4 percent year-on-year. He said bilateral agricultural trade stood at around $830 million during January-August, an… pic.twitter.com/LMniVk2A0y — Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) September 30, 2026 “Our hearts are connected and beat together,” he said, adding that the friendship between the two countries had withstood every test of time, whether earthquakes, storms or floods. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said, was a manifestation of the two countries’ longstanding friendship and their shared commitment to a more prosperous and developed future for their people. “We are now entering the next phase of CPEC, CPEC 2.0,” he said. Read More: Can China help Pakistan? myth and reality The new phase would focus particularly on industrialisation, special economic zones, information technology and artificial intelligence, agriculture, mining and minerals, he added. The prime minister described progress in the agriculture sector as “extremely welcome” and said the first group of 1,000 Pakistani agricultural graduates had completed their training in China. “Another group of 1,000 people is ready to go to China,” he said, describing the programme as a valuable investment in the capabilities and future of Pakistan’s youth. PM Shehbaz said Pakistan-China relations were a cornerstone of the country’s foreign policy. Recalling his conversation with President Xi in May, he said that it had represented a strong reaffirmation of the countries’ longstanding friendship. “We are fully committed to implementing the important understandings reached between the leadership of the two countries,” he said. “A sincere friend living in a distant land makes a distant land close,” the prime minister said while quoting a Chinese saying, adding that the words best reflected the friendship and closeness between the two countries. Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong also addressed the ceremony, describing China and Pakistan as “all-weather strategic cooperative partners”. He said Pakistan was playing an increasingly important role internationally because of its principled position, broad global vision and high level of diplomatic insight. Pakistan had supported multilateralism and international cooperation and played an important role in safeguarding peace and security in the region and beyond, the ambassador said. Also Read: Pakistan, China agree on BJC framework He said PM Shehbaz had “firmly defended Pakistan’s national interests” during his address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Pakistan’s position on international and regional issues was presented at the UN General Assembly and appreciated by the international community, he added. “The remarkable journey of the past 75 years proves that China and Pakistan are friends who have stood by each other in times of joy and sorrow,” Jiang said. He said the two countries had always stood by each other like brothers. The ambassador said PM Shehbaz had always attached great importance to practical cooperation between China and Pakistan in various fields.