Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations Between China and Pakistan — Part-1

Across Mountains and Seas, Building a Shared Future Tang Mengsheng 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. 75 Years of Meeting Challenges Together: Forging an All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership The 75th anniversary of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations is undoubtedly a milestone worth remembering in the history of bilateral relations. Looking back to May 21, 1951, Pakistan, amid the international environment of the time, resolutely became one of the first countries to recognize the People’s Republic of China, and the first Islamic country to establish diplomatic relations with China. This decision was strategically visionary and demonstrated Pakistan’s firm commitment to international justice. Over