ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping and Beijing’s leadership for supporting Pakistan’s mediation efforts in the US-Iran crisis, saying recent diplomacy had made significant progress toward restoring regional peace.
Pakistan has increasingly coordinated its diplomatic efforts with China, which has emerged as a key backer of Islamabad’s mediation initiative following months of confrontation between Tehran and Washington after joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February. The crisis has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime corridor carrying roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies, and raised fears of a broader regional conflict involving Gulf states.
Pakistan and China have jointly promoted a five-point peace proposal calling for a ceasefire, dialogue, protection of civilian and nuclear facilities, safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and adherence to the United Nations Charter.
“The world is passing through a very critical moment. There is a crisis in the Gulf and Pakistan has played a very sincere role to mediate between United States and Iran,” Sharif said in televised comments during talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing, where the two sides discussed regional security, economic cooperation and the next phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as Pakistan and China marked 75 years of diplomatic relations.
“I would like to thank President Xi Jinping and Chinese leadership for their great support to Pakistan to promote peace,” he added.
“We hope and pray to Allah Almighty that peace will be restored forever and lots of ground has already been covered. Things are moving in the right direction,” Sharif said.
The Pakistani prime minister also praised army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir’s role in the diplomatic process after the military leader returned from Tehran where he held nearly two days of talks ahead of the Beijing meetings:
“He has played a very important role back and forth with Iranian leadership and American leadership along with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, with his counterparts not only in Iran but also in the Gulf countries.”
Pakistan’s military said on Saturday Munir’s talks in Tehran had produced “encouraging progress towards a final understanding” linked to the US-Iran negotiations.
AGREEMENTS
During the meeting between Sharif and Li, the two sides also witnessed the signing and exchange of a wide range of agreements and memorandums of understanding covering trade, agriculture, climate cooperation, education, media, technology and institutional exchanges.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the agreements included new protocols aimed at expanding Pakistani agricultural exports to China, including sanitary and quarantine arrangements for dried fruits, nuts and maize exports, measures that could help Pakistani farmers and exporters gain greater access to the Chinese market.
The two countries also signed cooperation agreements in agriculture development and animal vaccines, reflecting Pakistan’s efforts to modernize farming and livestock sectors that remain central to its economy.
Other agreements focused on climate and environmental cooperation, economic planning, scientific collaboration and human resource development, as Islamabad seeks greater Chinese support in technology transfer, industrial modernization and workforce training.
The two sides additionally signed agreements between educational and policy institutions, including cooperation between Pakistan’s Foreign Service Academy and China Foreign Affairs University, as well as governance and public policy training exchanges between senior state institutions of both countries.
In the media sector, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency signed an agreement with Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, while China Media Group and Pakistan Television agreed to cooperate on jointly produced documentaries.
The two countries also signed an agreement supporting free trade and multilateralism, alongside a new sister-province relationship between China’s Zhejiang province and Pakistan’s Punjab province aimed at promoting regional economic and cultural cooperation.
“The Prime Minister noted that the signing of these agreements reflects the growing depth and diversity of Pakistan-China cooperation and opens new avenues for collaboration in key sectors that directly contribute to the welfare and prosperity of the peoples of both countries,” the PMO said.
Both sides also agreed to accelerate the next phase of CPEC, China’s flagship infrastructure and connectivity initiative in Pakistan under the Belt and Road Initiative.
In a separate statement, Sharif’s office said the prime minister and Li reviewed the “whole spectrum” of Pakistan-China relations and reaffirmed support for each other on issues of “core interests.”
Sharif said Pakistan remained committed to the “high-quality development” of CPEC, with future cooperation focusing on industrialization, agriculture, connectivity, clean energy, science and technology, digital transformation and socioeconomic development.
The prime minister also emphasized cooperation in emerging sectors including artificial intelligence, advanced technologies and space collaboration, noting Pakistan’s recent inclusion in China’s space station program.
On Sunday, Pakistani and Chinese firms signed agreements and memorandums of understanding worth $1.22 billion covering renewable energy, electric vehicles, pharmaceutical manufacturing, agriculture and smart technologies.
