• Pakistan, China call for ending hostilities, express concern over ME unrest
• Underscore importance of advancing development under CPEC 2.0

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China on Friday called on the United States and Iran to end the fighting and return to the negotiating table after they met in Shanghai, according to a statement issued by Beijing.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar jointly “expressed concern over the deterioration of the current situation, calling on the involved parties to immediately cease hostilities… [and] return to dialogue”, the statement issued by China’s foreign ministry said, according to Reuters.

Both countries have sought to mediate in the months-long Middle East conflict, which rekindled with renewed fighting over the Strait of Hormuz a month after the signing of a preliminary agreement aimed at ending the war.

That agreement was “hard-won”, Mr Wang said. “Peace is before our eyes. [We] cannot fall at the last hurdle and, even more so, cannot lose what we have gained,” he added.

The development came as Iran said it had launched fresh attacks on US facilities in the Gulf on Friday after a sixth consecutive night of US strikes on Iranian military facilities, as last month’s truce descended into daily attacks and counterattacks.

The renewed fighting since July 8 has cast doubt on the future of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, signed on June 18, which aimed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war after a further 60 days of negotiations.

Enhancing collaboration

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office (FO) on Friday issued a handout on the meeting between the two leaders. It said the two sides reviewed the “broad canvas of Pakistan-China bilateral relations”.

“They expressed satisfaction over the continued strength and steady growth of the bilateral partnership. They reaffirmed their shared commitment to further deepening the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership,” it said.

The FO said the two sides also underscored the importance of advancing high-quality development under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) 2.0.

“They agreed to strengthen practical cooperation and enhance collaboration in trade, investment, science and technology, the digital economy and artificial intelligence,” the statement said.

“They also exchanged views on the latest regional and global developments. Later in the day, Mr Dar said in a post on X that he had concluded his two-day “productive” official visit to Shanghai, thanking the Chinese government for its warm hospitality, according to state-run APP.

He praised Chinese President Xi Jinping’s keynote address at the World AI Cooperation Organisation, highlighting artificial intelligence as a shared global responsibility that should serve the common good.

Mr Dar also thanked Mr Wang after what he described as productive talks reaffirming both countries’ commitment to strengthening the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, with a

focus on CPEC 2.0 projects, including the Siah Diq mining project and the Karakoram Highway realignment.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2026