Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir meets Chinese President Xi Jinping during SCO follow-up talks

Guwahati: Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir formally met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday as part of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s delegation, following the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin.

The SCO summit, which concluded a day earlier, saw India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi among the attendees. The summit issued a joint declaration condemning terrorism, specifically highlighting the Pahalgam attack.

While Pakistan was not mentioned by name, PM Modi referred to “some nations” allegedly using terror as a policy—a reference widely interpreted as pointing toward Pakistan. India’s government had blamed Pakistan for the April Pahalgam attack, which was followed by retaliatory strikes under Operation Sindoor in May.

Munir, recently promoted from General to Field Marshal after claiming success in pushing back threats during Operation Sindoor, was part of Pakistan’s delegation to the SCO summit.

He is scheduled to attend a grand parade of the Chinese military on Wednesday marking the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II, where China plans to display its most advanced weapons systems. Over 80% of Pakistan’s military acquisitions are sourced from China, a fact closely monitored by India.

This is Munir’s second visit to China since becoming army chief. During his first visit in July, he met Vice President Han Zheng but did not meet President Xi, unlike his predecessor General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Munir has also previously been hosted for lunch by former US President Donald Trump, a rare gesture that drew attention in India and China due to Pak-China strategic ties.

During the meeting, Munir and Sharif held wide-ranging talks with Xi on bilateral and regional cooperation. Pakistan’s Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who was part of the delegation, said Xi emphasized accelerating the China-Pakistan community, setting an example for broader regional cooperation.

China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported Xi expressing China’s readiness to work with Pakistan on upgraded versions of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement. Xi also urged Pakistan to take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects, and institutions in the country.

Sharif, for his part, praised Xi’s Global Governance Initiative (GGI), proposed during the SCO summit, calling it significant for global peace, development, and stability, and affirmed Pakistan’s full support in implementing the initiative.