PM Shehbaz to undertake official three-day China visit: DPM Dar

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to undertake a three-day visit to China, starting May 23, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday.

DPM Dar made the announcement while addressing the launch ceremony of the IBI Pakistan Digital Economy Centre in Islamabad.

He said that the premier would undertake an official visit to China from May 23 to 26. Dar added that premier was also set to attend a B2B forum on May 24 during the visit.

Earlier this month, President Asif Ali Zardari completed a five-day visit to China, which was aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation across key economic sectors. He also oversaw the signing of multiple memoranda of understanding (MoUs).

Pakistan and China share a longstanding strategic partnership with ties that span various sectors, including trade, energy, defence, and infrastructure. The two countries are also set to mark the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations on May 21.

The visit comes at a time when Pakistan has remained engaged in facilitating engagement between the US and Iran in the past month, of which China has also been a part.

A day earlier, DPM Dar held a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, where the two leaders discussed Pakistan’s efforts to “facilitate engagement between Iran and the US”.

PM Shehbaz last visited China in September 2025, where he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. The development comes as the US President Donald Trump is also scheduled to visit China from May 13 to May 15.

‘Pak-China digital corridor’

Speaking at the launch ceremony, DPM Ishaq Dar underscored that Pakistan and China were taking “another significant step towards innovation, digital connectivity and the economy of the future as our partnership enters a new phase in the digital age”.

He remarked that Pak-China friendship was “not ordinary diplomacy”.

“It is a relationship tested by time and strengthened by trust […] from the Karakoram Highway, carved through some of the most difficult terrain in the world, to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which transformed Pakistan’s energy and connectivity landscape,” he continued.

He noted that with the launch of the centre, Pakistan and China were moving towards “digital transformation, agriculture, disaster management, climate resilience, healthcare, and smart cities”.

“The emerging Pak-China digital corridor will not only deepen bilateral ties but also create opportunities for the wider global south,” he remarked.