PM heads to China tomorrow to deepen strategic alignment amid regional tensions: FO

• FO spokesperson says Premier visit (May 23-26) at invitation of Chinese leadership, coincides with 75th anniversary of Pakistan-China diplomatic relations

• Shehbaz to hold talks with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang on bilateral cooperation: AMB Andrabi

• Confirms US-Iran conflict and Middle East tensions likely to feature in leadership-level discussions

• Says Pakistan and China maintaining close coordination on regional peace efforts

• Rejects India’s dismissal of PCA ruling on Indus Waters Treaty as ‘legally untenable’

• Urges world, including US, to hold India accountable for rights abuses in occupied Kashmir

 ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) on Friday announced that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official visit to China from May 23 to 26 at the invitation of the government of the People’s Republic of China, in what Islamabad described as a key diplomatic engagement aimed at further cementing the “ironclad friendship” and all-weather strategic partnership between the two countries.

Addressing the weekly media briefing, FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the visit carried added significance as it coincided with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China — ties long regarded by both sides as a “cornerstone of regional cooperation and strategic trust.”

Ambassador Andrabi said Prime Minister Shehbaz would hold high-level meetings with the Chinese leadership, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, during which the two sides are expected to reaffirm the enduring strength of the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and advance their shared vision of building an even closer “Pakistan-China community with a shared future in the new era.”

He said the leadership-level engagements would include comprehensive discussions on bilateral relations and cooperation across political, economic, strategic and regional domains, adding that the visit was expected to deepen political trust, enhance strategic coordination, expand economic collaboration and consolidate the time-tested friendship between Islamabad and Beijing.

The FO spokesperson said the premier would begin his visit from Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, where he is scheduled to chair the Pakistan-China Business-to-Business (B2B) Investment Conference aimed at boosting trade, investment and commercial linkages between the two countries.

“In Beijing, the prime minister will also attend a special reception hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Pakistan-China diplomatic relations,” Andrabi added.

The Foreign Office later issued a separate statement carrying details of the premier’s upcoming visit.

🔊PR No.1️⃣2️⃣5️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣

Curtain Raiser: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to Undertake Official Visit to China https://t.co/XBGEvIy7MS

🔗⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Pd2xrzCCVd

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) May 22, 2026

 US-Iran conflict likely to feature in talks

Responding to a question during the briefing, Andrabi confirmed that the ongoing US-Iran conflict was also expected to figure in discussions during the visit.

Weekly Press Briefing by the Spokesperson @TahirAndrabi

On Pakistan’s Peace Efforts Amid the Iran–US & Gulf Standoff pic.twitter.com/aTHu9Zx3uw

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) May 22, 2026

The premier’s trip comes at a time when Pakistan has remained actively engaged in diplomatic efforts aimed at facilitating dialogue between Washington and Tehran over the past month — efforts in which China has also remained closely involved.

“Pakistan and China have maintained close coordination regarding the evolving situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region, as well as ongoing peace efforts,” Andrabi said while referring to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s recent visit to China.

He recalled that both countries had earlier agreed on a five-point principle regarding regional de-escalation, which was issued as a joint statement following high-level engagements.

“So yes, this issue will be discussed during the prime minister’s visit,” Andrabi stated, while clarifying that although the primary focus of the trip remained bilateral cooperation, the regional situation and the US-Iran war were expected to come up during discussions between Prime Minister Shehbaz and the Chinese leadership.

India’s rejection of PCA ruling ‘legally untenable’

During the briefing, Andrabi also rejected India’s dismissal of the May 15 supplemental award issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in relation to the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), terming New Delhi’s position devoid of “political or legal value.”

Weekly Press Briefing by the Spokesperson @TahirAndrabi

On Indus Water Treaty and the Decision of the Court of Arbitration pic.twitter.com/LSAlL9hfVk

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) May 22, 2026

“Pakistan rejects this legally untenable attempt to dismiss the PCA’s supplemental award,” the FO spokesperson said, stressing that the arbitration mechanism had been constituted under the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty and that its decisions were “final and binding.”

He maintained that India’s refusal to participate in the proceedings could not invalidate a lawful international legal process.

Reiterating Pakistan’s longstanding stance, Andrabi said the supplemental award reaffirmed Islamabad’s position that the treaty imposed substantive restrictions on India’s ability to exercise unilateral control over the western rivers allocated to Pakistan under the agreement.

“India’s claim to hold the IWT in abeyance is equally without legal basis, and the treaty remains in force,” he added.

FO urges global action on Kashmir rights abuses

The FO spokesperson also urged the international community, including the United States, to take serious notice of continuing human rights violations in Indian-occupied Kashmir.

Recalling that May 21 marked the anniversaries of the assassinations of Mirwaiz Maulvi Mohammad Farooq in 1990 and Abdul Gani Lone in 2002, Andrabi paid tribute to the two Kashmiri leaders who were killed by unidentified gunmen.

“Pakistan salutes the courage and sacrifices of countless Kashmiri martyrs who laid down their lives for their inalienable right to self-determination,” he said.

Andrabi described the killings of innocent Kashmiris and their leaders as a “chilling example of the brazen impunity” characterising the deteriorating human rights situation in occupied Kashmir.

He called on the international community to hold India accountable and support efforts aimed at ensuring a just and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

Weekly Press Briefing by the Spokesperson @TahirAndrabi

On Human Rights Violation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir pic.twitter.com/5wHrOPCZaQ

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) May 22, 2026

Expressing concern over what he described as “politically motivated and questionable cases” against Kashmiri leaders, Andrabi accused India of suppressing legitimate Kashmiri voices through arbitrary detentions, sham trials and misuse of the judicial system for political purposes.

He called for the immediate release of political prisoners, human rights defenders and civil society activists detained in Indian-occupied Kashmir, while once again urging the international community — particularly the United States — to play a “constructive role” in addressing human rights abuses in the region.

FO non-committal on reports of Pakistan delegation visiting Iran

Responding to another question, Andrabi said the Foreign Office could neither confirm nor deny reports regarding the visit of a “high-level Pakistani delegation” to Iran, including speculation surrounding a possible trip by Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.

“We can neither confirm nor deny these reports,” he said.

The spokesperson also clarified that recent remarks made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding Pakistani officials travelling to Tehran were in reference to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s ongoing visit to Iran and not any other delegation.

Rubio had said on Thursday that he believed “Pakistanis will be travelling to Tehran today,” while Naqvi is already in Tehran holding meetings with the Iranian leadership.

Andrabi further said the Pakistani leadership remained in contact with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian as part of Islamabad’s continuing diplomatic engagement with neighbouring countries amid the evolving regional situation.