i. Pakistan was one of the earliest countries to recognize the People's Republic of China. On May 21, 1951, the two nations formally established diplomatic relations. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, guided by the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, China and Pakistan have developed relations of good-neighborly friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation, with steady progress achieved in bilateral engagements.
In February 2022, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan visited China to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. In March, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi participated in the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and conducted an official visit. In May, Premier Li Keqiang held a phone conversation with Shehbaz Sharif, the newly appointed Prime Minister of Pakistan. The same month, the newly appointed Foreign Minister of Pakistan Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited China. In September, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari during the UN General Assembly’s General Debate in New York. In November, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited China. Later that month, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a meeting with the Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
In January 2023, Premier Li Keqiang held a phone conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. In April, Premier Li Qiang held a phone conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. In May, the foreign ministers of China and Pakistan held the 4th China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue in Islamabad. In June, Premier Li Qiang held a bilateral meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact. In July, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to mark the 10th anniversary of the launch of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). From July 30 to August 1, the President’s Special Representatives and Vice Premier He Lifeng of the State Council visited Pakistan to attend the 10th-anniversary celebrations of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). In August, Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, held a phone conversation with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. In October, Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar visited China to attend the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. In October, Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani during the 3rd China Xizang “Trans-Himalaya” Forum for International Cooperation.
In May 2024, Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, co-chaired the 5th China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’Strategic Dialogue in Beijing with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Ishaq Dar. In June, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid an official visit to China. In October, Premier Li Qiang paid an official visit to Pakistan and attended the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States.
In February 2025, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari paid a state visit to China.
ii. Bilateral Economic and Trade Relations and Economic Cooperation
China and Pakistan have established trade relations since the early 1950’s. In January 1963, the two countries signed their first trade agreement. In October 1982, the two countries set up the China-Pakistan Joint Economic Committee, which has held 15 meetings so far. Though the joint efforts of both sides, the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has made great progress. In 2006, the two countries signed a free trade agreement and began to implement it in July 2007. In February 2009, the two countries signed the Agreement on Trade in Services of the China-Pakistan FTA, and in that year, China became the second largest trading partner of Pakistan. In 2014, China became the Pakistan’s first largest trading partner. In 2019, the two countries signed the Protocol to Amend the Free Trade Agreement between China and Pakistan and it came into force on January 1, 2020. According to General Administration of Customs of China, the total bilateral trade between China and Pakistan amounted to $23.06 billion in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 11.1%. Among them, China’s exports to Pakistan amounted to $20.23 billion, a year-on-year increase of 17%; China’s imports from Pakistan amounted to $2.82 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 18.2%. According to the Pakistani side, China has been the largest trading partner, the first source of imports and the second largest export destination of Pakistan since the 2015/2016 fiscal year.
iii. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is an important pilot project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In 2013, leaders of China and Pakistan jointly decided to launch the construction of the CPEC. During President Xi Jinping’s visit to Pakistan in April 2015, both sides agreed to promote a “1+4” pattern of economic cooperation, featuring a central role of the CPEC and four key areas including the Gwadar port, energy, transportation infrastructure and industrial cooperation, so as to achieve win-win results and common development.
To implement CPEC cooperation, China and Pakistan have set up a ministerial-level Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC), which has held 13 meetings so far, with the most recent meeting held in May 2024 by video. By the end of 2024, CPEC had brought in a total of $25.93 billion in direct investment, created 261,000 jobs, and helped to build 510 kilometers of highways, 8,000 megawatts of electricity and 886 kilometers of national core transmission grid in Pakistan.
Since 2024, the two sides have agreed to promote the implementation of the eight major steps on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation in Pakistan and jointly build a growth corridor, a livelihood-enhancing corridor, an innovation corridor, a green corridor, and an open corridor, to create an upgraded version of CPEC, in line with Pakistan’s 5Es framework.
iv. Cooperation in the Fields of Culture, Science and Technology, Education
China and Pakistan have been keeping close cultural exchanges. Cultural groups were sent to visit each other and exhibitions were held once the diplomatic relations were established. Since signing of Cultural Agreement, the two sides have signed 14 Executive Programs. The year of 2015 was the China-Pakistan Year of Friendly Exchanges. When President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan in 2015, the Chinese side announced to set up China Culture Center in Islamabad. From March to June of 2023, the two sides jointly held Grandhara Art Exhibition at the Palace Museum.
As of August 2024, about 1,500 young people from 10 batches of Pakistani youth and 5 batches of Chinese youth took part in the Youth Visiting Program which was launched in 2004.
The exchanges in science and technology between China and Pakistan started in the 1960s. Related cooperation has been smooth and fruitful. The two sides have held 18 meetings of Joint Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation since signing the Agreement for Cooperation in Science and Technology in 1976. The two sides signed the 2012—2020 Space Cooperation Outline between China National Space Administration and Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission in 2012 and signed the 2021—2030 Space Cooperation Outline in 2022.
China has been accepting Pakistani students since 1964. China have opened 5 Confucius Institutes and 2 Confucius Classrooms in Pakistan. In May 2020, President Xi Jinping wrote a letter to all Pakistani students at the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) and encouraged them to communicate more with their Chinese peers and join hands with youth from all countries to contribute to promoting people-to-people connectivity and building a community with a shared future for mankind.
There are 19 pairs of twin provinces and cities between China and Pakistan.
v. Military and Defense Cooperation.
The armed forces of China and Pakistan have long maintained a high level of strategic mutual trust and close collaboration. Senior military officials from both sides engage in frequent high-level interactions, continuously advancing exchanges and cooperation in equipment and military technology. For consecutive years, the armed forces of the two sides have conducted high-standard joint exercises and training, establishing institutionalized programs such as the Army's "Friendship" and "Warrior," the Air Force's "Shaheen," and the Navy's "Sea Guardian" series of joint drills.