ISLAMABAD, August 28: Pakistan is committed to Shanghai Spirit and continues efforts to further strengthen the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) role for regional stability and progress, top Pakistani officials said, as Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to embark on a state visit to China in the last week of August, centering around his participation in the 25th SCO Heads of State Council Summit, slated for August 31 to September 1, 2025, in Tianjin.
The summit will be conducted under the theme "Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move," a call for reinforced regional unity and strategic cooperation in an increasingly complex global environment.
Key focal areas include neighborhood diplomacy, counterterrorism, economic integration, renewable energy, and the digital economy, culminating in the anticipated Tianjin Declaration.
Citing the Shanghai Spirit, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar told Henan International Communication Center recently that the SCO served as a key avenue for translating the promise of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) into practical benefits.
He highlighted that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as one of BRI's flagship undertakings, reinforced the SCO's agenda of interregional linkages and economic integration, while advancing the collective aspiration of shared progress.
DPM Dar who attended the recent Foreign Ministers' meeting of the SCO in China, stressed that members must move beyond rhetoric and take tangible actions under the SCO framework to expand commerce and growth. In this context, he urged a greater reliance on local currencies for trade settlements within the bloc to shield economies from global financial volatility. He welcomed proposals for an alternative SCO development fund that could help revive delayed regional projects.
Drawing attention to Islamabad's leadership role as permanent chair of the SCO Working Group on Poverty Reduction, he reaffirmed Pakistan's pledge to inject fresh momentum into joint efforts aimed at tackling poverty across member states.
He described the organisation's culture of consensus, cooperative development, and mutual respect as a guiding light for building a fairer and more balanced world order.
DPM Dar reiterated Pakistan's dedication to SCO values, affirming its belief in non-aggression, respect for internal sovereignty, avoidance of force or coercion in international dealings, and rejection of any quest for unilateral military advantage in the region.
The SCO, established in 2001 and expanded over time, has emerged as a critical forum for regional security, economic integration, and multilateral diplomacy. Pakistan, which joined in 2017, views the summit as a strategic lever for deepened regional engagement.
Prime Minister Sharif is expected to engage in bilateral discussions with both Xi and Putin, focusing on bolstering ties and reviewing pressing regional and global developments.
Beyond summit discussions, Pakistan will launch a B2B investment conference in Beijing on September 4, co-organized by the Pakistani Embassy and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC). The event, showcasing investment opportunities in textiles, IT, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and energy, marks a proactive outreach to foster economic collaboration.
This forward-leaning economic strategy complements Pakistan's efforts to strengthen strategic ties with China, rooted in longstanding initiatives such as the CPEC, and to reinforce its role within SCO's evolving architecture.
This month, on the invitation of DPM Ishaq Dar, member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, visited Islamabad for co-chairing the 6th Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue.
During his visit, the Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, also called to call on the President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari; Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif; and Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said the visit was part of the regular high-level exchanges between Pakistan and China to further deepen their "All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership", reaffirm support on the issues of respective core interests, enhance economic and trade cooperation, and reaffirm their joint commitment to regional peace, development and stability.
He mentioned that the Sixth Trilateral Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan was held on 20 August 2025 in Kabul between Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan, Foreign Minister of China, and Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan. The FO spokesperson said Pakistan had been contributing positively in the SCO which is an effective platform.
The author is Shafqat Ali, the editor-in-chief of the Newswire International and Covert. The views don't necessarily reflect those of Henan International Communication Center.