Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday arrived in Beijing to co-chair the seventh round of the Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue, which is scheduled for January 4 (Sunday), the Foreign Office (FO) announced in a post on X.

In an earlier statement, the FO said the foreign minister will be the “first foreign dignitary to visit China in 2026“, at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, with whom he is co-chairing the dialogue.

In the X post, the FO said that Dar was received at the airport by China’s Special Representative on Afghanistan, Ambassador Yue Xiaoyong, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China and officials from the Pakistani Embassy.

“DPM/FM will also attend events marking the beginning of the 75th year of Pakistan-China diplomatic ties, with both countries planning initiatives and commemorative activities throughout 2026,” the post added.

The FO has said that the dialogue “will review the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation, identify new areas of partnership, and further advance the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between Pakistan and China”.

Earlier this week, the FO had said the dialogue was the “highest consultative mechanism between Pakistan and China, providing a structured platform to review the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation, as well as regional and international developments of mutual interest”.

It said that during the dialogue, the two foreign ministers will also announce a series of initiatives and commemorative activities to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

It had added that the visit formed an important part of the regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and reflected their shared determination to broaden and deepen their cooperative partnership, while reaffirming their mutual commitment to regional peace, stability, and sustainable development.

The sixth round of the strategic dialogue was held in Islamabad in August, with Yi visiting the capital and meeting Dar, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari.

At the time, China had affirmed its commitment to working with Pakistan on promoting regional peace, development and stability.