All-weather strategic cooperative partnership: Pakistan, China reaffirm commitment
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China have reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening their All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership as the two countries mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar called for enhanced political engagement, institutional cooperation and exchanges of governance experience.
Addressing the symposium on Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building and seminar on China-Pakistan Governance in Islamabad on Monday, Dar highlighted China’s achievements in economic development, poverty alleviation, institutional strengthening and people-centred governance, saying its experience offered valuable lessons for Pakistan.
The symposium was co-chaired by Dar and Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC).
Dar said the forum provided an important opportunity to reflect on the role of political parties in governance, institution-building and national development, while deepening longstanding party-to-party exchanges between the two countries.
He acknowledged the contribution of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Thought on Party Building, particularly the Communist Party of China’s experience in translating its principles into effective governance and tangible development outcomes.
Praising China’s progress under President Xi’s leadership, Dar said the country’s development had been driven by the CPC’s commitment to party discipline, organisational capacity, combating corruption and people-centred governance. He also highlighted China’s success in lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.
Referring to Pakistan’s economic situation, the deputy prime minister said the country had made significant strides towards economic self-reliance and stabilisation and was now moving towards economic consolidation. These gains, he said, were anchored in governance reforms, including macroeconomic discipline, institutional modernisation, digital tax administration and simplified regulation.
Dar said exchanging governance experiences with China was an important component of the longstanding, mutually beneficial partnership, adding that cooperation in leadership development, institutional strengthening and effective governance could advance shared objectives of stability, prosperity and sustainable development.
Highlighting the regional and international dimension of bilateral cooperation, Dar recalled the Five-Point Peace Initiative jointly launched by Pakistan and China on March 31 during his visit to Beijing for restoring peace in the Middle East. He also referred to President Xi’s Four-Point Peace Proposal for the Middle East and his Global Governance Initiative, saying these initiatives reflected China’s commitment to fairness, justice and the interests of developing countries and the Global South.
Dar said the IDCPC had played an important role in strengthening Pakistan-China friendship through sustained engagement with Pakistani political parties. The China-Pakistan Political Parties Forum and the CPEC Political Parties Joint Consultation Mechanism, he added, provided valuable platforms for dialogue, political cooperation and exchange of experiences.
Referring to his visit to Beijing in May, Dar said the two sides had held the second China-Pakistan Political Parties Forum and the fourth meeting of the CPEC Political Parties Joint Consultation Mechanism. An MoU between the CPC and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was also signed to promote structured and sustained party-to-party cooperation.
He said Pakistan had proposed five political corridors covering political dialogue, governance cooperation, youth engagement, people-to-people exchanges and regional cooperation.
Emphasising parliamentary and institutional cooperation, Dar called for expanding exchanges between Pakistan’s Senate and National Assembly and China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). He also proposed stronger linkages among think tanks, universities and training institutions, particularly in governance, poverty alleviation and development planning.
Minister Liu thanked Pakistan’s leadership for promoting party-to-party exchanges to deepen bilateral cooperation.
The event brought together representatives of Pakistan’s political parties, including Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, PPP Secretary General Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, Senators Sherry Rehman, Senator Anusha Rahman Khan, Additional Secretary General, PML (N), and former Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, among others. Foreign Secretary and representatives of various political parties and think tanks also attended the event.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026