President Calls for Reinforcing Pak-China Strategic Trust

Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari has stated that the strategic mutual trust between Pakistan and China must be sustained and reinforced, emphasizing the importance of continued high-level exchanges, stronger people-to-people contacts, and deeper economic cooperation. He discussed these priorities with Ambassador-designate to China, Dr. Syed Ali Asad Gilani, during a meeting in Islamabad.

According to Radio Pakistan, President Zardari highlighted that the relationship with China remains a crucial aspect of Pakistan’s foreign policy. He stressed the need to translate the strong political goodwill between the two nations into greater economic and industrial integration. The President welcomed the focus on Business-to-Business cooperation under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) 2.0, advocating for collaboration in modern agriculture, artificial intelligence, and new technologies. He emphasized that these areas are particularly important for skills development and job creation for the youth.

President Zardari urged the Ambassador-designate to maintain proactive engagement with Chinese government institutions, the Communist Party of China (CPC) leadership, think tanks, academia, and media. He also encouraged the promotion of people-to-people ties, including student exchanges. Furthermore, President Zardari expressed his anticipation for President Xi Jinping’s visit to Pakistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit next year.