Chinese Foreign Minister’s Visit to Islamabad for Strategic Dialogue

The Foreign Office has announced that China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, is scheduled to visit Islamabad on August 21 to co-chair the 6th Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue.

This visit is part of routine high-level interactions aimed at enhancing the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Pakistan and China, according to officials.

The dialogue will serve to reaffirm mutual backing on core interests, enhance collaboration in trade and economics, and emphasize both nations’ dedication to stability, development, and peace in the region.

Wang Yi is expected to hold discussions with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, focusing on advancements in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), economic cooperation, regional security matters, and defense cooperation.

It is anticipated that the Chinese Foreign Minister will also meet with Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir in Rawalpindi.

This marks Wang Yi’s first visit to Pakistan following India’s cross-border aggression last May and occurs shortly after his meeting with Field Marshal Munir in Beijing, a development viewed as reinforcing the robust relationship between Islamabad and Beijing.

Diplomatic sources suggest that a trilateral meeting involving the foreign ministers of Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan is expected to occur in Kabul immediately after Wang Yi’s visit.

DPM Dar is likely to join him for discussions with Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, although officials have not ruled out the possibility of the Afghan foreign minister travelling to Islamabad instead. The discussions are anticipated to cover regional stability and Pakistan’s security concerns related to Afghanistan.

Sources indicated that certain global powers attempted to hinder the trilateral dialogue, but following several weeks of negotiations, all three parties agreed to proceed. The meeting is considered a crucial step in promoting trilateral cooperation.

Wang Yi’s visit holds significant regional importance as it follows his stop in New Delhi and precedes Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s upcoming visit to China later this month for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.