Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of China in Islamabad Jiang Zaidong on Tuesday met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar wherein both sides expressed their commitment to elevating bilateral ties to new heights and further solidifying their strategic partnership.
In the meeting, they reaffirmed the Pak-China All-Weather Strategic Partnership, which was a cornerstone of bilateral relations between the two states, according to a Foreign Office press release.
They reviewed the progress of CPEC 2.0, calling it a significant project aimed at enhancing economic cooperation and regional connectivity. On behalf of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Ambassador Jiang extended an invitation to DPM Dar to attend the High-Level UN Security Council Event “Practicing Multilateralism, Reforming and Improving Global Governance”, hosted by China under its Presidency of the UNSC, on February 18,, 2025 in New York. The deputy prime minister accepted the invitation, underscoring Pakistan’s commitment to multilateral cooperation.
Earlier, Pakistan-China Institute, chaired by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, hosted an international conference “China at 75: A Journey of Progress, Transformation and Global Leadership,” celebrating 75 years of the founding of People’s Republic of China, where Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was the Chief Guest.
Distinguished participants included China’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong; renowned economist and former Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, Dr Ishrat Hussain, and Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs. The conference was uniquely marked by international representation from South Asia, featuring Mahbub Alam, Leader of Bangladesh Nationalist Party; Ahmed Thariq, Member of Parliament from the Maldives; and Achyut Prasad Mainali, Member of the Federal Parliament of Nepal.
In his introductory remarks, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, highlighted some unique aspects of China, emphasizing the nation’s peaceful rise without invasion, aggression, occupation or colonisation—reflecting the essence of China’s 5000-year-old civilization. He described Pakistan-China relations as unique as these are neither transactional nor tactical but rooted in deep strategic cooperation. Reflecting on China’s recent history, Senator Mushahid Hussain summed up China’s 75 years in what he termed were ‘3 R’s’: Revolution under Chairman Mao, Reform under Deng Xiaoping and now peaceful Rise under President Xi Jinping.
Analysing reasons for China’s rise, he listed quality of leadership, continuity in policy, unique ability to make course corrections and humility in learning from others plus peaceful foreign policy. Referring to his interaction at an American think tank in Washington, DC, where Senator Mushahid Hussain was asked: ‘which side are you on, US or China’, to which he retorted: ‘Pakistan is on the right side of history, and the course of contemporary history is determined by the Asian Century, where China is our reliable strategic partner’.
