Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations Between China and Pakistan — Part-2

Across Mountains and Seas, Building a Shared Future Tang Meng sheng Professor of Peking University, China. Director of the Center for Pakistan Studies, Peking University Seventy-five years of sharing weal and woe, seventy-five years of friendship as strong as steel. In 2026, as China and Pakistan mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the peoples of both countries are immersed in the joy of friendship and cooperation. Since the two countries formally established diplomatic ties on May 21, 1951, this friendship, spanning the Himalayas and crossing the Arabian Sea, has remained rock-solid and ever-renewed amid changes in the international landscape. Together, we have traversed an extraordinary journey of three-quarters of a century, witnessing the construction of the Karakoram Highway and the transformation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor from vision to reality; we have seen prompt action in disaster relief operations time and again, and firm mutual support in international affairs. Described as a relationship “higher than the mountains, deeper than the oceans, sweeter than honey, and stronger than steel”, this bilateral bond has gone far beyond ordinary state-to-state relations and stands as a model of enduring friendship, stable cooperation and mutual benefit between countries with different civilizations and social systems. Unshakable Political Mutual Trust: Steering Steady, Long-Term Growth of Bilateral Ties High-level exchanges and strategic guidance between China and Pakistan are the “fixed star” ensuring the steady growth of bilateral relations. Over 75 years, leaders of the two countries have maintained frequent exchanges like close relatives, steering the course of bilateral relations. From foundational visits in the early days of diplomatic ties to frequent high-level meetings in the new century, every handshake and dialogue has injected new contemporary connotations into bilateral friendship and elevated political mu