Islamabad (GNP): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), co-chaired a “Symposium on Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building and Seminar on China-Pakistan Governance” in Islamabad. The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China and the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) jointly organised the event.
Liu thanked Pakistan’s leadership for promoting party-to-party exchanges to deepen bilateral cooperation. He spoke about the role of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building in strengthening the CPC, institutional governance and national development, stressing party discipline, anti-corruption work, people-centred governance and institutional capacity.
He also highlighted the long-standing political trust between the two countries as they mark 75 years of diplomatic relations, and pointed to the new Pakistan-China Research Centre for Party and State Governance as a platform for dialogue and cooperation.
Dar said the relationship rests not only on cooperation between governments but also on sustained political understanding, institutional links and exchanges between political parties. He underscored the role of parties in governance, institution-building and national development, noted the broad political consensus behind Pakistan-China friendship, and called for closer party-to-party exchanges and mutual learning to strengthen the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership. Political consensus and continuity, he added, are important for the next phase of CPEC.
Senator Sherry Rehman conveyed a congratulatory message from President Asif Ali Zardari, which reaffirmed Pakistan’s long-standing friendship with China and stressed mutual trust, political consensus and institutional cooperation. It also called for enhanced cooperation in CPEC’s next phase in industrial development, agriculture, technology, connectivity and employment.
Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Minister Prof. Ahsan Iqbal drew lessons from China’s experience, including people-centred governance, accountability, strong institutions and long-term planning. He stressed political cooperation, youth engagement and governance exchanges in advancing UDAAN Pakistan and CPEC 2.0.
Syed Nayyer Hussain Bukhari, Secretary General of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), recalled the PPP’s historical role in strengthening Pakistan-China ties and called for more exchanges between parties, particularly in leadership development, research, technology and agriculture. He also welcomed the new research centre.
Former Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chairman of the Pakistan-China Institute, called the symposium a historic initiative and emphasised people-centred governance, effective leadership and institutional capacity.
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The symposium also featured recorded messages from political leaders in Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Maldives on party building, governance, accountability and mutual learning. Foreign Secretary Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, representatives of political parties and think tanks, senior officials, diplomats and academics attended.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
