Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari during an official visit in which they discussed the need to intensify security measures to protect Chinese interests in Pakistan. In the past year, there has been an increase in attacks against Chinese personnel, projects, and institutions in the Asian country.
In October 2024, two Chinese citizens lost their lives and several people were injured in an attack at Karachi airport. Another suicide attack in March of the same year claimed the lives of at least five Chinese and one Pakistani who were working on a hydropower project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
During the meeting, Xi highlighted the friendship and bilateral cooperation that has existed for 75 years and reaffirmed China's commitment to the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. This project, framed within China's Belt and Road Initiative, has received an investment of $64 billion from Beijing.
The Chinese president emphasized that China views its relationship with Pakistan from a strategic perspective and pledged to support Islamabad in safeguarding its sovereignty, combating terrorism, and national development. Xi also praised Pakistan's support for China's global initiatives and highlighted the importance of resisting unilateralism and hegemonic practices.
For his part, Zardari thanked China for its support of Pakistan's socioeconomic development and expressed his commitment to work alongside China in defense of multilateralism and free trade. After the meeting, both presidents presided over the signing of several cooperation agreements in areas such as trade, science, technology, and audiovisual media, as well as in the context of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
