China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on August 21 for a two-day visit, where he will co-chair the Pakistan-China Strategic Dialogue and hold meetings with the country’s political and military leadership. His trip comes immediately after a stopover in New Delhi, reflecting Beijing’s stepped-up regional diplomacy.
According to diplomatic sources, Wang’s discussions in Islamabad will center on assessing the current state of bilateral ties, as well as key regional and global issues. The visit will also help finalize the agenda for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s upcoming trip to China, where he is expected to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.
The timing of the visit carries weight given recent geopolitical developments. In May, Pakistan and India were embroiled in a military clash, followed by a tense Iran-Israel standoff in June, alongside renewed engagement between Islamabad and Washington. China stood firmly by Pakistan during its confrontation with India, supplying J-10C fighter jets and PL-15 BVR missiles that enabled Pakistan to down six Indian aircraft, including Rafales. Beijing also backed Islamabad’s call for an international investigation into the Pahalgam attack that triggered the crisis.
The Islamabad talks are expected to push forward cooperation in security, trade, and strategic affairs, reflecting the growing depth of the Pakistan-China partnership in an increasingly volatile regional environment.
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Meanwhile, Pakistan’s foreign policy calendar remains packed. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will travel to Dhaka on August 23 on a rescheduled trip aimed at consolidating improving ties with Bangladesh. Relations between the two states have warmed following the exit of Sheikh Hasina’s government last year. The interim administration in Dhaka, led by Professor Muhammad Younus, has eased trade restrictions, reopened sea links, and granted wider access to Pakistani diplomats.
Dar will meet his Bangladeshi counterpart and Chief Advisor Younus, while Commerce Minister Jam Kamal is already in Dhaka for trade talks. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb is also slated to visit Bangladesh in September for the first meeting of the Pakistan-Bangladesh Joint Economic Commission in twenty years.