Chinese party envoy meets Shehbaz and Asim Munir, urges deeper political ties

Pakistan’s political parties have long supported friendship with China and provided a strong political foundation for bilateral relations, visiting Chinese Communist Party official Liu Haixing said on Monday as he met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, The Express Tribune reported.

Liu, minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), called for deeper political and institutional exchanges between the two countries.

With the prime minister

In his meeting with Shehbaz, the prime minister reaffirmed that Pakistan and China enjoy an “ironclad, time-tested and All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership”, which he described as anchored in mutual trust, respect and the bonds between their peoples, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office. He stressed the importance of sustained political engagement and party-to-party exchanges, and appreciated the International Department’s role in building institutional links between the two countries’ political leaderships.

Shehbaz also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to working closely with China and welcomed a shared focus on cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity, infrastructure, information technology and agricultural modernisation. Liu conveyed greetings from the Chinese leadership and said Beijing was committed to deepening its “longstanding friendship” with Pakistan. The two sides exchanged views on regional and international developments, including coordination at bilateral and multilateral forums. The prime minister hosted a banquet for the visiting delegation.

At GHQ

Earlier Liu called on the Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Munir, at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), they discussed evolving regional and international security dynamics and bilateral relations. Field Marshal Munir highlighted what he called the historic and time-tested relationship, stressing sustained high-level engagement, stronger institutional links and wider cooperation. Liu appreciated Pakistan’s contributions to regional peace and stability.

What the International Department does

The International Department is the CPC’s channel for relations with political parties abroad, and the Tribune notes that it provides a separate track for political exchanges, governance discussions and institutional cooperation alongside conventional government-to-government diplomacy, including with both ruling and opposition parties. Liu, a member of the 20th CPC Central Committee, was appointed minister in September 2025, and was previously an assistant foreign minister. His visit follows a meeting with Ishaq Dar in Beijing in January, where they discussed party-to-party exchanges, regional developments and cooperation under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The Tribune says the engagements show both sides trying to expand the relationship beyond the traditional diplomatic, economic and defence cooperation to include political parties, parliamentary institutions, think tanks and academic organisations.

The regional setting

The visit comes while Pakistan and China are both in the diplomacy around the Gulf. Pakistan has been one of the mediators between Iran and the US, and China has this week hosted Oman’s sultan and met Iranian and Saudi officials, as we reported in our story on Xi and the 20-point statement with Oman.

What we know, and what we don’t

• Known: Liu met the prime minister and the Chief of Defence Forces, and both Pakistani sides reaffirmed the partnership, per the PMO and ISPR statements.
• Known: China is emphasising party-to-party and institutional exchanges, not only government ties.
• Unknown: what concrete new agreements, if any, come from the visit; the statements describe commitments in general terms.
• Unknown: whether any opposition parties will be part of the exchanges Liu proposed.

Why it matters

Pakistan’s relationship with China has been built on state-to-state projects such as CPEC and on defence cooperation. By stressing political parties and institutions, Beijing is investing in links that would outlast a change of government in Islamabad, and is seeking support across the political spectrum. For Pakistan’s parties, the visit is a reminder that Beijing sees support for China as a shared position across the political spectrum.

This article draws on reporting by The Express Tribune.