Pakistan army chief Asim Munir visits China, holds talks with Chinese leaders

Islamabad: Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir, who is on his first visit to China after his elevation as the Field Marshal, on Friday held talks with top Chinese leaders and discussed ways to deepen cooperation across all sectors.

Munir held separate meetings with Vice President Han Zheng, top military official General Zhang Youxia and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, according to official media reports here.

This is Munir’s first visit to China after India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10.

During the conflict, Pakistan used extensive military equipment supplied by China.

This is also Munir's first visit to China after his trip to Washington, where he met US President Donald Trump and sought to establish close ties with America, Beijing's strategic rival.

Significantly, coinciding with Munir’s visit to Beijing, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is in Washington, where he is expected to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Dar was in China on July 14 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Foreign Ministers's meeting.

A statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) - the media wing of the Pakistan military - in Islamabad said that in their talks with Munir, the Chinese leadership lauded the Pakistan Armed Forces as a cornerstone of resilience and a vital contributor to peace in South Asia.

The “Chinese military leadership reiterated full confidence in the strength of the bilateral defence partnership and acknowledged Pakistan's pivotal role in promoting regional peace,” Pakistan daily Dawn quoted the statement as saying.

In his talks with Han and Wang, Munir “focused on the evolving regional and global political landscape, connectivity initiatives under the CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor), and the need for coordinated responses to shared geopolitical challenges,” it added.

“Both sides expressed satisfaction over the depth of bilateral engagement and reiterated their shared commitment to sovereign equality, multilateral cooperation, and long-term regional stability,” it said.

During his meeting with Munir, Han said China and Pakistan are iron-clad friends and all-weather strategic cooperative partners, with bilateral relations marked by high-level mutual trust, solidarity through challenges, and a shared future, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Han said China is willing to work with Pakistan to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, deepen all-weather friendship, expand all-round cooperation, and accelerate the building of a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era.

Munir told Han that the Pakistani military is ready to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and continuously deepen the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two sides.

Gen. Zhang, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, the overall command of the military headed by President Xi Jinping, congratulated Munir on his promotion to Field Marshal and said military-to-military relations between China and Pakistan are an important pillar of the bilateral relationship, according to a defence ministry press release.

Both sides should firmly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, enhance strategic communication, maintain close exchanges and interactions, and deepen practical cooperation, it said.

China will work with Pakistan to contribute to regional peace and development, and to build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, Zhang said.

He also said that China is willing to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation with Pakistan and hopes that Pakistan will continue to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects, and institutions in Pakistan.

China is concerned over recurring deadly attacks by militant groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army, targeting Chinese nationals working on the USD 60 billion CPEC project.

Pakistan will make every effort to combat terrorism and ensure the safety of Chinese friends in the country, Munir said.

Munir said Pakistan will further deepen and expand practical cooperation across all sectors, continuously elevating bilateral and military relations to new heights.

On Thursday, Munir met Wang, who said China will, as always, take Pakistan as a priority in its neighbourhood diplomacy and China-Pakistan relations continued to move forward under the strategic guidance of President Xi.

Wang said the Pakistani military stands as a staunch defender of national interests and a firm supporter of China-Pakistan friendship, according to an official press release from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

China supports Pakistan in resolutely combating all forms of terrorism and hopes that the Pakistani military will continue to make all-out efforts to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan, it said.

Munir thanked China for its long-standing, valuable support for Pakistan's economic and social development, the release added.