ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari left for China on Saturday for a week-long visit to discuss bilateral relations and mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The president departed for the visit from Lahore with Punjab Governor Saleem Haider seeing him off.
The Foreign Office (FO) earlier said that the visit comes at the invitation of the Chinese government. According to a statement posted on X, the president will travel to Changsha, Hunan Province, from April 25 to 27, and then to Sanya, Hainan Province, from April 28 to May 1.
“He will hold meetings with provincial leadership to discuss Pakistan–China bilateral relations, with a particular focus on economic and trade cooperation and the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),” the FO said.
It added that the visit was part of the longstanding tradition of high-level exchanges between Pakistan and China, noting that it held special significance as it coincided with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
President Zardari last visited China in February 2025, meeting China’s Premier Li Qiang to discuss the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership and the expansion of cooperation under CPEC 2.0, particularly in areas like renewable energy, science and technology, infrastructure, and agriculture.
The visit also included the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between the two countries. These include agreements signed between Pakistan’s Thatta Cement Company and China’s Ching Gang Construction Group, aimed at increasing cement production in Pakistan by an additional 5,000 tonnes per day.
An MoU was also signed between the Sindh Energy Department and China’s Meng Yang Renewable Energy Company to explore joint renewable energy projects in Pakistan, while a coal gasification and urea production plant project between the Government of Sindh and a Chinese company was also formalised.
