URUMQI; President Asif Ali Zardari met with Mr. Chen Xiaojiang, Communist Party Secretary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, during his ongoing visit to Urumqi. Governor of Xinjiang, Mr. Erkin Tuniyaz, also attended the meeting.
Mr. Chen warmly welcomed President Zardari and recalled his earlier visit to Urumqi in 2011, as well as his trip to Beijing in February this year, where he held talks with President Xi Jinping and witnessed the signing of several bilateral agreements and MoUs. He further highlighted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent visit to China for the SCO Summit and the 80th Anniversary of Victory over Fascism, during which the second phase of CPEC was advanced with multi-billion-dollar agreements in agriculture, industry, and mining.
Emphasizing Xinjiang’s transformation, Mr. Chen said the region has become a hub of stability, prosperity, and peace, with its GDP surpassing 5.6 trillion yuan. He noted the region’s progress in agriculture and livestock development and its efforts to tackle extremism and terrorism. He also pointed out the recent visits of the Governor of Balochistan and the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan to Xinjiang.
Highlighting people-to-people exchanges, Mr. Chen said eight sister-city partnerships exist between Pakistan and China, including Urumqi and Peshawar. He expressed hope for deeper cooperation in agriculture, mining, industry, and livestock, and reaffirmed China’s resolve to work closely with Pakistan on counter-terrorism and regional security.
In his remarks, President Zardari said he was pleased to revisit Xinjiang and commended the region’s development and the unity of its people. He reaffirmed that Pakistan-China friendship is “unique, time-tested, and the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy.” The President reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to work alongside China in countering terrorism while expanding collaboration in agriculture, technology, mining, livestock, and industry.
He underlined Xinjiang’s pivotal role in the CPEC framework, encouraging more industrial and agricultural linkages, particularly through Special Economic Zones in Gilgit-Baltistan. He also invited Xinjiang’s people to visit Pakistan’s northern areas, stressing that cultural and economic connectivity between both sides would further cement bilateral ties.
Mr. Chen later hosted a dinner in honor of President Zardari and his delegation.
The meeting was also attended by Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, Sindh Energy Minister Nasir Shah, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, and the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan.