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PM ARIVE IN BEIJING FOR CRUCIAL TALKS AFTER SECURING $1.22B CHINA INVESTMENT DEALS Monday, 25 May, 2026 | 8 Zilhaj, 1447
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PREMIER SHEHBAZ BEGINS SECOND LEG OF FOUR-DAY CHINA VISIT AFTER HIGH-PROFILE HANGZHOU ENGAGEMENTS
SET TO HOLD KEY MEETINGS WITH PRESIDENT XI JINPING AND PREMIER LI QIANG WITH FOCUS ON STRENGTHENING CPEC PHASE-II AND DEEPENING STRATEGIC COOPERATION
INVITES CHINESE COMPANIES TO EXPAND INVESTMENT IN EV AND RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTORS
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HANGZHOU/ISLAMABAD SALEEM JADOON
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday arrived in Beijing on the second leg of his official visit to China, where he is scheduled to hold high-level engagements with the Chinese leadership, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, to further strengthen “Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership” and advance co-
operation under CPEC Phase-II. Premier Shehbaz had commenced his four-day visit to China on Saturday after landing in Hangzhou, where he spent a packed day engaging with Chinese political and business leadership to promote trade, investment and industrial cooperation. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the prime minister was received in Beijing by Chinese Minister for Environment and Ecology Huang Runqiu.
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PAKISTAN, CHINESE FIRMS SIGN MOUS AND AGREEMENTS WORTH $1.22B AS PM SAYS PAKISTAN AIMS TO BOOST AGRI-TRADE WITH CHINA BY $10B
Dar hails ‘iron brotherhood’ with China HANGZHOU/ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Sunday said Pakistan and China’s “iron brotherhood” was growing stronger with each passing year as both countries marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations. “Our friendship has stood the test of time, changing global realities and regional challenges. I am particularly pleased that our historic government-togovernment relationship is now being reinforced by a vibrant and expanding business-to-business partnership,” the DPM/FM said while addressing the Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference on IT & Telecom, battery energy storage systems (BESS) and agriculture in Hangzhou. He said the Chinese economic model of “learning by doing, induction and deduction” offered important lessons
“During his stay in Beijing, the prime minister will hold high-level engagements, including meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Qiang to further strengthen Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and advance cooperation under CPEC Phase-II, particularly in trade, investment, industry, agriculture, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges,” the PMO said. Earlier in Hangzhou, PM Shehbaz chaired the opening ceremony of the third Pakistan-China Business-to-Busi-
At least 14 killed, 20 injured in suicide bombing targeting shuttle train in Quetta g
BALOCHISTAN GOVT AND ISPR CONFIRM THREE FC PERSONNEL AMONG MARTYRS AS VEHICLE-BORNE BOMBING DERAILS TRAIN COACHES, TORCHES VEHICLES NEAR SITE QUETTA
STAFF REPORT
At least 14 people, including three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, were martyred and 20 others injured when a vehicle-borne suicide bombing ripped through a shuttle train near Chaman Phatak in Quetta on Sunday morning, according to the Balochistan government, the InterServices Public Relations (ISPR) and state-run APP. Hours after the attack, the Balochistan government confirmed with “profound grief and deep concern” that a shuttle train service near Chaman Phatak had been targeted in a suicide bombing. “This cowardly act of terrorism is not only an attack on innocent human lives but also a heinous attempt to undermine peace, stability, and normal civic life in Balochistan,” the provincial government said in a statement. Citing initial reports, the statement said 14 people embraced martyrdom while 20 others sustained injuries, including women and children. “Among the martyrs were three personnel of the Frontier Corps, while the majority of victims were civilians, including pedestrians, passengers, bystanders and residents living in houses adjacent to the blast site,” it added. The statement further said an entire family of four — father, mother, son and daughter — lost their lives in the devastating explosion, plunging the province into mourning. According to officials, emergency response measures were launched immediately after the attack, while rescue teams shifted the injured to Civil Hospital Quetta for treatment. The ISPR also confirmed the martyrdom of three FC personnel and said several others were critically injured in the terrorist attack near Chaman Phatak. “The deliberate targeting of civilians, including women, children and ordinary passengers, highlights how these elements intentionally attack soft civilian targets to spread fear and instability rather than confront the state directly,” the military’s media wing said. The ISPR described the bombing as a reflection of the “desperation of anti-Pakistan terrorist proxies seeking to disturb peace and create
11 Indian-backed terrorists neutralised in North Waziristan’s Datta Khel IBOs: ISPR ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Security forces killed 11 terrorists during a series of intelligencebased operations carried out over the past 48 hours in Datta Khel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district, according to the military’s media wing. In a statement issued on Sunday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the security forces "engaged multiple locations" linked to Indian-sponsored Finta alKhawarij in the area, leading to heavy fire exchange. In continuation of series of intelligence based operations, in last 48 hours security forces engaged multiple Khwarijs’ locations in general area Datta Khel, North Waziristan District. Following intense and fierce exchanges of fire, security forces effectively neutralised 11 terrorists belonging to the India-proxy “Fitna
panic through indiscriminate violence against innocent people during a period of improving stability and normalcy.” According to the military’s media wing, security forces and law enforcement agencies immediately cordoned off the area, launched investigations and initiated efforts to trace facilitators and perpetrators involved in the attack. The ISPR further stated that the martyrdom of FC personnel while protecting civilians underscored the continued sacrifices being rendered by Pakistan’s security forces against externally backed terrorist violence. It added that such attacks could not weaken public resolve, as the people of Pakistan, particularly the citizens of Balochistan, continued to stand with the state and security institutions against enemies of peace and stability. Earlier, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said militants had targeted unarmed civilians, adding that women and children were among the casualties. “Evidence is being collected and investigations are underway,” he said,
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al-Khawarij,” the ISPR said. The state has designated the use of the term ‘Fitna al-Khawarij’ for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). According to ISPR, weapons and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants, who “remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area.” “Sanitisation operations continue to eliminate holed up khawarij from these areas, as a relentless counter-terrorism campaign under the vision ‘Azm-i-Istehkam’ (as approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” the military’s media wing added.
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for Pakistan’s development trajectory. POLITICAL DIALOGUE AND CPEC COORDINATION Earlier, DPM/FM Ishaq Dar, along with Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, cochaired the 2nd China-Pakistan Political Parties Forum and the 4th meeting of the CPEC Political Parties Joint Consultation Mechanism in Beijing. In a post on X, Dar said he was joined by representatives of 12 political parties from Pakistan, including the PML-N, in what he described as a productive and engaging session. He said the forum provided “an excellent opportunity for meaningful dialogue between political parties of both countries,” reaffirming shared commitments to strengthening strategic mutual trust, advancing CPEC 2.0, deepening economic cooperation and enhancing people-topeople linkages.
IN TODAY’S ISSUE
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China launches three-crew space flight as part of Moon ambitions irfan.farooq@pakistantoday.com.pk
GANSU PROVINCE, CHINA AGENCIES
ness (B2B) Investment Conference, which focused on charging infrastructure, battery energy storage, solar technologies and pharmaceuticals. The premier also held meetings with provincial leadership and leading Chinese enterprises, including StarCharge, CATL and Xiuzheng Pharmaceutical, to explore practical avenues of investment and industrial collaboration. He also visited Alibaba Headquarters, where he was received by Alibaba Executive Chairman Joe Tsai.
China launched its Shenzhou-23 mission on Sunday, which will see a Chinese astronaut spend a full year in orbit for the first time, a crucial step in Beijing’s ambition to send humans to the Moon by 2030. The Long March 2-F rocket blasted off in a cloud of flames and smoke on time at 11:08pm (local time) from the Jiuquan launch centre in China’s northwestern Gobi Desert, video from state broadcaster CCTV showed. The spacecraft separated from the rocket around 10 minutes later and entered orbit, the Chinese space agency (CMSA) said on social media. “The astronauts are in good condition, and the launch has been a complete success,” it added. The mission marks the first spaceflight ever undertaken by an astronaut from Hong Kong: 43-year-old Li Jiaying (Lai Ka-ying in Cantonese), who previously worked for the Hong Kong police. Other crew members include 39-year-old space engineer Zhu Yangzhu and 39-year-old Zhang Zhiyuan, a former air force pilot, who is travelling into space for the first time. Cheering crowds waved Chinese flags at a farewell ceremony ahead of the launch, while a band played and the three astronauts saluted on stage. The crew is set to carry out numerous scientific projects in life sciences, materials science, fluid physics and medicine. A key experiment of Shenzhou-23 will be the full-year stay in orbit by one of the crew in order to study the effects of a long stay in microgravity. YEAR-LONG EXPERIMENT The experiment is part of China’s preparations for future lunar missions, as well as missions to Mars. The astronaut selected for this one-year mission will be named at a later date, depending on the progress of the Shenzhou-23 mission, a spokesperson for the CMSA said on Saturday.
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