Ishaq Dar, Chinese premier discuss Pakistan-China strategic ties on SCO sidelines

Liaquat Ali

Islamabad: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held an informal meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Dushanbe this week, reaffirming the importance of Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership amid evolving regional developments.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of a banquet dinner hosted in honour of heads of delegations attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG), which is being held in the Tajik capital on October 19–20.

The Pakistani Foreign Office said the two leaders exchanged views in a cordial atmosphere on the longstanding Pakistan-China all-weather strategic relationship and current regional developments, reflecting the continued high-level engagement between the two countries within the SCO framework.

Dar arrived in Dushanbe to lead Pakistan’s delegation to the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting at the invitation of Tajikistan’s Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda. The gathering brings together senior government leaders from SCO member states to deliberate on economic cooperation, trade, investment, regional connectivity and broader socioeconomic development.

China’s participation in the meeting assumes particular significance given its strategic partnership with Pakistan and its role in promoting regional economic integration through multilateral platforms and connectivity initiatives. The SCO provides Islamabad and Beijing with an important forum to coordinate positions on regional challenges, expand economic engagement and strengthen cooperation among member states.

The Council of Heads of Government is the organisation’s second-highest decision-making body and deals primarily with economic, financial, trade, connectivity and socioeconomic cooperation, alongside the organisation’s budgetary matters. The meeting is expected to adopt a joint communiqué, statements and other decisions aimed at advancing cooperation among member states.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang is representing Beijing at the gathering alongside other senior leaders and representatives of SCO member countries, including Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as Iran and India.

During his visit, Dar is also scheduled to meet Tajikistan’s president and prime minister and hold bilateral discussions with counterparts from SCO member states on the sidelines of the summit.

The engagements offer Pakistan an opportunity to strengthen diplomatic coordination with China and other regional partners, particularly on trade facilitation, transport connectivity, economic cooperation and regional stability.

Pakistan and China maintain close strategic ties encompassing political cooperation, defence, infrastructure development, energy and regional connectivity, with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) serving as a major component of their economic partnership.

Dar’s interaction with the Chinese premier on the sidelines of the Dushanbe meeting underscores the importance both countries attach to continued high-level dialogue and coordination through regional multilateral institutions.