Across Mountains and Seas, Building a Shared Future
Tang Mengsheng
Professor of Peking University, China. Director of the Center for Pakistan Studies, Peking University Seventy-five years of sharing weal and woe, seventy-five years of friendship as strong as steel.
In 2026, as China and Pakistan mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the peoples of both countries are immersed in the joy of friendship and cooperation. Since the two countries formally established diplomatic ties on May 21, 1951, this friendship, spanning the Himalayas and crossing the Arabian Sea, has remained rock-solid and ever-renewed amid changes in the international landscape. Together, we have traversed an extraordinary journey of three-quarters of a century, witnessing the construction of the Karakoram Highway and the transformation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor from vision to reality; we have seen prompt action in disaster relief operations time and again, and firm mutual support in international affairs. Described as a relationship “higher than the mountains, deeper than the oceans, sweeter than honey, and stronger than steel”, this bilateral bond has gone far beyond ordinary state-to-state relations and stands as a model of enduring friendship, stable cooperation and mutual benefit between countries with different civilizations and social systems.
75 Years of Meeting Challenges Together: Forging an All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership
The 75th anniversary of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations is undoubtedly a milestone worth remembering in the history of bilateral relations. Looking back to May 21, 1951, Pakistan, amid the international environment of the time, resolutely became one of the first countries to recognize the People’s Republic of China, and the first Islamic country to establish diplomatic relations with China. This decision was strategically visionary and demonstrated Pakistan’s firm commitment to international justice. Over the past 75 years, despite profound shifts in the international architecture, the two countries have always upheld the core principles of mutual respect and trust, standing side by side in the face of various risks and challenges. Though the journey has not always been smooth, it has forged an even stronger bond between the two countries
In the early 1960s, through a series of friendly and practical negotiations, China and Pakistan peacefully resolved the historical boundary issue. This achievement laid an extremely solid political foundation for the long-term development of bilateral relations. It not only reflected the farsightedness of the leaders of both countries, but also provided a valuable example for the international community on peacefully resolving territorial disputes through dialogue and consultation.
In January 1963, the two governments signed a trade agreement granting each other most-favored-nation treatment; in August of the same year, an air transport agreement was signed, enabling Pakistan International Airlines to launch scheduled passenger services to Beijing in April 1964; a barter trade agreement was signed in September 1963; a cultural agreement in March 1965; a maritime transport agreement in October 1966, and so on. The signing of these agreements demonstrated the rapid growth of bilateral relations, firmly grounded in shared aspirations, political mutual trust and common interests.
In the 1970s, amid profound adjustments in the international and regional landscape, the friendly relations between China and Pakistan remained steady and enduring. At the crucial moment of restoring China’s lawful seat in the United Nations in 1971, Pakistan showed a clear stance and firm support. Since then, high-level exchanges between the two countries have become closer, and strategic dialogue has deepened continuously. Even in a complex and volatile international environment, the two sides have maintained a high degree of mutual understanding and firm support on issues concerning each other’s core interests and major concerns. Such mutual support at critical junctures is perhaps the most prominent feature of China-Pakistan relations.
From the 1990s onward, with the deepening of world multipolarity, the substantive content of the comprehensive partnership between China and Pakistan has continued to expand. The two sides have established a multi-tiered, wide-ranging framework for dialogue and cooperation, including regular diplomatic consultations and strategic dialogues. On key issues such as counter-terrorism and regional stability, communication and coordination have remained consistent and close. Despite evolving international dynamics and different stages of adjustment in each country’s development path, bilateral relations have not only remained unshaken but have also shown greater resilience. Fundamentally, this relationship is not based on transient exchanges, but rooted in shared or similar commitments to peace, development, fairness and justice — a sincere and precious partnership tempered by time and trials.
On April 20, 2015, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Pakistan at the invitation of the Pakistani side. The two countries issued the Joint Statement between the People’s Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on the Establishment of an All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, agreeing to upgrade the relationship to a new level. These words carry great weight. They are not only a noble definition of past friendship, but also a solemn commitment to the future. “All-weather” means unwavering and consistent through all conditions; “strategic cooperative” signifies that mutual trust and collaboration have penetrated into the long-term planning and fundamental interests of national development. This definition precisely captures the essence of China-Pakistan friendship: unchanging despite transient events, unshaken by government changes, a model of state-to-state relations that stands any test. On September 2, 2025, when meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, who was in China to attend the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit and activities marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, President Xi Jinping pointed out:“China and Pakistan are friends in adversity, brothers in bond, and partners in faith and morality. Our ironclad friendship has grown stronger over time, forged through severe tests of history.”
The friendly and cooperative relations between China and Pakistan transcend ordinary state-to-state exchanges. They were crystallized in the joint struggle to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and elevated in the joint response to natural disasters and risks. Pakistan has always given China firm support on issues concerning China’s core interests, and the Chinese people will always remember this timely assistance and sense of responsibility. In return, China has unswervingly supported Pakistan’s efforts to safeguard its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Such unhesitating mutual support at critical moments is the most vivid
illustration of this “iron-clad”
friendship.
—To be Continue
