Beijing, China – The long-standing “iron-clad” friendship between Pakistan and China was reaffirmed on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, as Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Great Hall of the People. The high-level meeting came during Sharif’s visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, where both leaders pledged to advance their partnership into a new phase centered on economic growth and security.
PM Shehbaz Sharif @CMShehbaz met President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall, where delegations from both sides held wide-ranging talks on bilateral & regional cooperation.
Under President Xi’s visionary leadership, our all-weather strategic partnership continues to grow stronger,… pic.twitter.com/i2JliuZamn
— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) September 2, 2025
A key outcome of the meeting was the joint commitment to build an “upgraded version” of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This next phase, dubbed CPEC 2.0, is designed to move beyond traditional infrastructure projects and focus on five new corridors: a growth corridor, a livelihood-enhancing corridor, an innovation corridor, a green corridor, and an open corridor. The shift indicates a focus on bolstering Pakistan’s industrial, agricultural, and mining sectors to promote long-term, self-sustained development.
While pledging continued economic and developmental support, President Xi also emphasized the need for Pakistan to take “solid and effective measures” to ensure the security of Chinese personnel and projects within the country. This comes amid a series of attacks on Chinese nationals working in Pakistan, which has been a growing concern for Beijing.
In response, Prime Minister Sharif assured the Chinese leader that his government would “spare no effort” in providing a secure environment for all Chinese nationals and projects. He also renewed his invitation for President Xi to visit Pakistan next year as the two nations celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations. The two sides further agreed to strengthen strategic communication and collaboration on global and regional issues.
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