Beijing: China's President Xi Jinping held talks with visiting Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari in Beijing. Zardari is currently on a five-day visit to China, running from Feb. 4 to 8. During the meeting, the two leaders discussed matters of mutual interest, including the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), regional connectivity, and security cooperation.

According to Anadolu Agency, Xi stated that China and Pakistan "are ironclad friends and all-weather strategic cooperative partners." He expressed China's readiness to work closely with Pakistan on their respective modernization paths and emphasized efforts to strengthen the China-Pakistan community. Zardari reiterated Pakistan's commitment to its strategic partnership with China, highlighting the political, economic, military, and cultural ties between the two nations.

In a separate development, Pakistani Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Chinese counterpart Qi Yanjun agreed to boost cooperation in intelligence sharing and enhance border security, as per an official statement issued by Naqvi's office in Islamabad. Pakistan and China also reached an agreement for Islamabad to acquire police equipment and technology from Beijing.

Earlier in his visit, Zardari met with Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. Discussions focused on the development of the second phase of the CPEC, with particular emphasis on cooperation in science and technology, renewable energy, infrastructure, and agriculture sectors. According to a statement from Zardari's office, CPEC was described as a "shining example" of people-centric development, focusing on win-win cooperation and shared benefits.

The two sides explored opportunities to strengthen institutional linkages through parliamentary exchanges and participation in the CPEC Political Parties Joint Consultative Mechanism. Zardari also paid tribute to national heroes by visiting the Monument to People's Heroes in Beijing.