Marching hand in hand toward the future: Writing a new chapter in the China-Pakistan community with a shared future

2026 marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. Looking back, China and Pakistan have stood together through thick and thin and forged an unbreakable all-weather friendship. Looking ahead, the profound changes reshaping the global landscape, combined with the development blueprints of both countries, require both sides to join hands with greater wisdom and courage to chart a new course for the China-Pakistan community with a shared future.

Building an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future requires the two countries to continue taking political mutual trust as the fundamental guarantee. No matter how the international landscape changes, firm mutual support between China and Pakistan on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns will always be the cornerstone for the steady growth of bilateral relations. The two sides must continue to strengthen high-level exchanges and strategic communication to ensure that bilateral relations always move in the right direction. On core issues of sovereignty, security and development, both countries should continue to stand firmly together, jointly resist external risks and challenges, and safeguard a just development environment and international space.

This requires China and Pakistan to advance practical cooperation to higher quality, wider areas and deeper levels. As a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has entered a new stage of quality improvement and upgrading. The two countries will not only consolidate achievements in traditional fields such as energy and transportation, but also vigorously expand cooperation in emerging frontier fields including digital economy, green development, artificial intelligence and biotechnology. One priority will be promoting the transformation of industrial cooperation from infrastructure construction to deeper integration of industrial and supply chains, helping Pakistan further advance its industrialization and strengthen the endogenous drivers of its economy. Meanwhile, both sides will ensure that the fruits of cooperation benefit the two peoples more equitably, launching more "small but beautiful" projects in agriculture, medical care, education, poverty alleviation and other livelihood areas to effectively improve people's well-being and consolidate the social foundation of friendship.

Facing global challenges such as climate change, public health crises and economic recovery, China and Pakistan, as responsible major developing countries, should strengthen coordination and cooperation on multilateral fora. Both countries will jointly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, practice true multilateralism, and contribute to improving global governance and promoting common development. Through close cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other multilateral frameworks, both sides will jointly maintain regional peace and stability, creating a safer and more favorable environment for the development of the two countries and the region.

The China-Pakistan friendship, forged over 75 years, possesses a profound foundation and strong vitality, equipping the two countries to jointly overcome all tests and challenges on the path ahead. As long as both sides uphold the principles of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, and unite as one, the China-Pakistan All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership will surely be elevated to a new level, jointly creating a better future for the two peoples and making new and greater contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

The 75th anniversary of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations is both a milestone and a new starting point. Standing at the crossroads of history, we firmly believe that under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries and through the joint efforts of the two peoples, the China-Pakistan All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership will embrace an even broader and brighter future. Let both sides continue to stand side by side, carry forward the brotherly friendship that is "higher than mountains, deeper than oceans, sweeter than honey, and stronger than steel," hold high the banner of forging an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, and work together to create a better life for the Chinese and Pakistani peoples while bringing greater stability, certainty, and positive energy to a world facing mounting challenges.

Tang Mengsheng is a professor and the founding director of the Center for Pakistan Studies, Peking University.