Key points
- Wang Yi is in Pakistan on an official visit
- Ishaq Dar and Wang Yi discussed regional, global issues
- Bilateral cooperation, CPEC 2.0 also came under discussion
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China held the 6th round of Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue in Islamabad on Thursday, reviewing the entire gamut of Pakistan-China relations and discussing important regional and global issues.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a post on X that Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also exchanged in-depth views on multiple facets of bilateral cooperation, including CPEC 2.0, trade and economic relations, multilateral cooperation and people-to-people ties.
“During the Dialogue, the two sides reviewed the entire gamut of Pakistan-China relations and discussed important regional and global issues. They also exchanged in-depth views on multiple facets of bilateral cooperation including CPEC 2.0, trade and economic relations, multilateral cooperation and people-to-people ties,” the foreign office said.
Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held the 6th round of Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue in Islamabad today. During the Dialogue, the two sides reviewed the entire gamut of Pakistan-China relations… pic.twitter.com/H7xYEULRoF
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 21, 2025
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar described his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday as “fruitful,” highlighting a range of topics discussed between the two nations.
“We held fruitful and substantive discussions today covering diverse areas of mutual interest,” Dar said during a joint press conference with Wang in Islamabad.
Reflecting on their talks, Dar noted, “We took stock of progress achieved since the last round of Strategic Dialogue. We also exchanged views on the entire gamut of Pakistan-China relations, including CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor), trade and investment, science and technology, and people-to-people cooperation.”
Member of the CPC Politburo and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China H.E. Wang Yi arrived at MoFA.He was warmly recieved by DPM/FM Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50. He will hold important meetings including the 6th Strategic Dialogue between China and Pakistan pic.twitter.com/ESlzEgdWe4
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 21, 2025
He added that both sides reviewed key regional and global developments, stating, “There was complete unanimity of views and consensus on all important matters.”
Strategic dialogue
The longstanding strategic dialogue between Pakistan and China spans various domains such as trade, energy, defence, and infrastructure. In May 2024, both leaders had co-chaired the fifth round of the Strategic Dialogue in Beijing.
Dar also spoke about recent trilateral efforts involving Afghanistan, saying, “Recently, our two countries have worked together to establish tri-lateral partnerships with other countries in the region.”
The Sixth Trilateral Foreign Ministers Dialogue was held on 20 August 2025 in Kabul between Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of Pakistan @MIshaqDar50, Foreign Minister of China @MFA_China, and Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan @mfa_afghanistan, focusing on political,… pic.twitter.com/i6n8I2oYgr
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 20, 2025
“These mechanisms signify our joint resolve to promote regional peace, stability and prosperity, and to share the dividends of Pak-China friendship with other countries in the region and beyond,” he added.
Discussing future engagements, Dar said, “We also discussed preparations for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s forthcoming visit to China. The PM will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of States summit and also meet top Chinese leadership, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.”
He announced that a Pakistan-China Business-to-Business (B2B) Investment Conference would be held during the Prime Minister’s upcoming visit.
CPEC cornerstone of Pakistan-China partnership
Addressing the joint press conference alongside the Chinese Foreign Minister, Deputy PM Dar emphasised that the two countries enjoy complete unanimity and consensus on all major bilateral, regional, and global matters.
“We are heartened by Wang Yi’s vision for advancing our bilateral cooperation, especially upgrading CPEC to its next phase,” Dar noted.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described CPEC as the cornerstone of Pakistan-China strategic partnership, stating that the current priority is to advance high-quality development of the Corridor.
He said that during the 6th strategic dialogues, the two sides agreed to upgrade CPEC into “a growth corridor, livelihood-enhancing corridor, green corridor, and open corridor”.
“We will work hard to deepen our industrial agriculture and mining cooperation to improve the Pakistani people’s welfare and accelerate Pakistan’s capability for self-sustained development and increase Pakistan’s economic resilience,” he said.
Wang Yi added that China also supports the development and operation of the Gwadar port and promotes the Karakoram Highway realignment project.
Furthermore, the Chinese foreign minister also welcomed the third-party participation in the ML-1 (Main Line Railway) project.
Dar said that during the dialogues, the two sides held the strategic dialogues on the heels of Pakistan-China-Afghanistan Foreign Ministers’ trilateral meeting in Kabul.
“These mechanisms signify our joint resolve to promote regional peace, stability, and prosperity and to share the dividends of Pakistan-China friendship with other countries in the region and beyond.
Deputy PM Dar also expressed gratitude to the Chinese foreign minister for China’s firm support of Pakistan for safeguarding its sovereignty , territorial integrity, and national dignity.
Cooperation at multilateral flora
The Deputy PM said the two sides also agreed to continue close cooperation at the multilateral fora, particularly at the United Nation Security Council (UNSC), where Pakistan is currently serving its two-year term as a non permanent member.
“We also discussed preparation for PM Shehbaz Sharif’s forthcoming visit to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State Summit,” Dar said. He said next year Pakistan and China would celebrate 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. “We agreed that the two countries will organize a series of events in this regard.”
Chinese FM Wang Yi said China warmly welcomed PM Sharif to China for the SCO summit. “The two sides will jointly prepare and ensure the success of the series of activities for the 75th anniversary of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations next year.”
He also expressed sympathy with Pakistan in the wake of the heavy rains, assuring that China will immediately provide emergency humanitarian assistance.
As regards terrorism in the country, Wang Yi said China highly commends Pakistan’s tireless efforts in combating terrorism, as it firmly believes that Pakistan’s counter-terrorism operation will secure victory. He said Pakistan is effectively protecting the safety of Chinese nationals and institutions in Pakistan.
Replying to a question, Dar said Pakistan’s foreign policy will not change, which is to establish friendly ties with all countries in the world based on shared values, mutual respect, and equality, and for global peace and stability.
“China is the mainstay and cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy, and we are committed to further strengthening bilateral relations,” he emphasised.
Wang Yi, responding to a question, said that China’s partnership with India is not targeted at any third party and that no other country will be affected by these relations.
Earlier in the day, Wang Yi arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to participate in the sixth round of the Pakistan-China Strategic Dialogue, according to a statement from the Foreign Office.
The FO shared on X that Wang was welcomed by Dar upon his arrival and that he would participate in “important meetings, including the 6th Strategic Dialogue between China and Pakistan.”
