PM Shehbaz to visit China from May 23 on three-day official trip, says Dar

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official three-day visit to China from May 23, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday.

Dar announced the visit while speaking at the launch ceremony of the IBI Pakistan Digital Economy Centre in Islamabad. He said the prime minister would visit China from May 23 to 26 and would also attend a B2B forum on May 24 during the trip.

The announcement comes days after President Asif Ali Zardari concluded a five-day visit to China earlier this month. That visit was aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in key economic sectors, and multiple memoranda of understanding were signed during it.

Pakistan and China maintain a longstanding strategic partnership covering a range of areas, including trade, energy, defence and infrastructure. The two countries are also due to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations on May 21.

The upcoming visit also comes as Pakistan has remained engaged over the past month in efforts to facilitate engagement between the United States and Iran, a process in which China has also been involved. A day earlier, Dar held a telephone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, and the two discussed Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate engagement between Iran and the US.

Prime Minister Shehbaz last travelled to China in September 2025, when he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.

The development has also come as US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit China from May 13 to May 15.

Digital economy cooperation

At the same event in Islamabad, Dar said Pakistan and China were taking another step forward in innovation and digital connectivity as bilateral cooperation moved into what he described as a new phase in the digital era.

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.

Dar said the launch of the centre reflected cooperation in areas including 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 said the latest initiative marked another significant step towards innovation, digital connectivity and what he called the economy of the future.

Dar also said Pak-China friendship was not ordinary diplomacy, describing it as a relationship shaped over time and reinforced by mutual trust.

The IBI Pakistan Digital Economy Centre was launched in Islamabad as both countries continue to expand cooperation beyond traditional sectors and into technology-linked areas highlighted by the deputy prime minister in his remarks.