Shehbaz Sharif heads to China for SCO Summit, CPEC talks and military parade

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will embark on a six-day official visit to China from August 30 to September 4 at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, where he will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State summit in Tianjin.

The visit carries both symbolic and strategic weight, as Shehbaz is scheduled to join President Xi and other world leaders at a military parade in Beijing commemorating the 80th anniversary of the World’s Anti-Fascist War.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Shehbaz will also hold formal talks with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, covering political, economic, and security cooperation. A key agenda item is advancing Phase-II of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and reinforcing the “all-weather” strategic partnership.

In addition to state-level meetings, Shehbaz will engage the Chinese business community, meeting leading executives and addressing the Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference in Beijing to push for greater trade and investment flows.

China is also hosting other high-profile figures at the SCO gathering, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, underscoring the summit’s global significance.

Officials noted that the visit is part of an ongoing series of high-level exchanges between Islamabad and Beijing, aimed at deepening economic ties, coordinating positions on regional and international issues, and broadening cooperation across multiple sectors.