Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari emphasized the need for sustaining and reinforcing strategic mutual trust with China during a meeting with Dr. Syed Ali Asad Gilani, the Ambassador-designate to China. The discussion, held at Aiwan-e-Sadr, highlighted the importance of high-level exchanges, people-to-people connections, and economic cooperation between the two nations.

According to Pakistan Peoples Party, President Zardari underscored the significance of the Pakistan-China relationship as a crucial aspect of Pakistan's foreign policy. He advocated for transforming the political goodwill into greater economic and industrial integration, with a focus on business cooperation under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) 2.0 initiative. The President also emphasized collaboration in areas such as modern agriculture, artificial intelligence, and new technologies to foster skills development and job creation for the youth.

The President instructed the Ambassador-designate to engage actively with Chinese government institutions, the Communist Party leadership, think tanks, academia, and media, while also promoting student exchanges and other people-to-people ties. Additionally, President Zardari expressed anticipation for President Xi Jinping's visit to Pakistan for the upcoming SCO Summit. Senator Saleem Mandviwalla was present at the meeting.