KARACHI: “Seventy-five years ago, the older generation of leaders of China and Pakistan, with great foresight, formally established diplomatic ties between our two nations. Over these years, China-Pakistan relations have remained rock-solid and time-tested,” said the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Karachi, Yang Yundong.

He was speaking at a seminar commemorating 75 years of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan at the Consulate General of China here on Tuesday.

“Pakistan was the first Islamic country to recognise the new China. In the 1960s and 1970s, our bilateral relations heated up rapidly, marked by frequent high-level visits. In 1963, China and Pakistan signed the Boundary Agreement through friendly negotiations. From 1965 to 1971, Pakistan consistently acted as a sponsor country at successive sessions of the UN General Assembly to support the restoration of China’s lawful rights in the United Nations. It was precisely with the strong and continuous support of friendly countries like Pakistan that China restored its lawful seat in the United Nations in 1971. Similarly, China treated Pakistan with complete sincerity, providing strong political, economic and military support, helping Pakistan overcome various difficulties,” the Consul General said.

“China-Pakistan relations serve as a mutually beneficial bond that improves public livelihoods and empowers the economy. Today, as a flagship and pioneering project of the Belt and Road Initiative, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor [CPEC] has entered a new phase of high-quality development known as the ‘Version 2.0’. This grand strategy has profoundly transformed Pakistan’s infrastructure and is steadily driving the country’s industrial upgrading and economic transformation, turning connectivity into a sustainable engine for economic prosperity and public well-being,” said Yang Yundong, before announcing that he was now going back home.

Outgoing Consul General Yang says he will cherish his role in strengthening China-Pakistan friendship

“I feel immensely honoured to have personally participated in the noble cause of developing China-Pakistan friendship and our practical bilateral cooperation, a journey I will cherish with absolutely no regrets in this life,” he concluded.

Adding to that, the director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Karachi Liaison Office, Irfan Soomro, said that when we speak about China-Pakistan relations, we are speaking about a partnership that is beyond diplomacy. “From diplomacy to defence to trade in technology and upgrade of infrastructure, our relationship continues to grow stronger,” he said.

Other speakers on the occasion included researcher, academician and author Dr Junaid Ahmad; VC, Ziauddin University, Dr Muhammad Ali Shaikh; philanthropist and former caretaker provincial minister of Sindh, Nadira Panjwani; President, Economic Diplomacy Forum, Dr Muhammad Farooq Afzal; Founder President and Patron in Chief of Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Sahibzadi Mahin Khan, senior journalist Manzar Naqvi and Chairman, Balochistan Council on Foreign Relations, Changgaiz Hussain Khan.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2026