Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will undertake a three-day official visit to China from May 23, the government announced, amid growing strategic engagement between the two all-weather allies.
During the visit from May 23-26, the prime minister will also attend a business-to-business (B2B) forum on May 24, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said while addressing the launch ceremony of the IBI Pakistan Digital Economy Centre here on Tuesday.
The visit comes weeks after President Asif Ali Zardari travelled to China from April 25 to May 1, during which the two sides signed several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to deepen cooperation in diverse sectors.
Pakistan and China are set to celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations on May 21. The two countries have close ties and cooperation in various sectors, including trade, energy, defence, and infrastructure.
Pakistan's reliance on China for military assistance has risen dramatically over the past decade. A Stockholm International Peace Research Institute study showed China supplied about 80 per cent of Pakistan's major arms between 2020 and 2024. Islamabad also has close economic ties with Beijing, the report said.
Shehbaz last visited China in September 2025, when he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
The latest high-level engagement also coincides with heightened diplomatic activity in the region, with US President Donald Trump visiting China from Wednesday to Friday.
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