Manzar Naqvi
KARACHI: The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Karachi is set to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China with a National Day reception hosted by Acting Consul General Feng Deheng, with this year’s celebrations assuming added significance as Pakistan and China commemorate the historic 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah is expected to attend the reception as chief guest and address the gathering following the welcoming remarks by Acting Consul General Feng Deheng.
The reception is expected to bring together a broad cross-section of Pakistan’s diplomatic, government, business and media communities, along with prominent personalities from different walks of life, reflecting the depth of China’s engagement with Karachi and Sindh as well as the wider strength of Pakistan-China relations.
The celebration of the 77th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China comes during a landmark year for the two countries. Pakistan and China established diplomatic relations in 1951, and the completion of 75 years of formal ties in 2026 is being commemorated through high-level exchanges and a series of activities highlighting a relationship that has developed into what both governments officially describe as an “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership.”
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has described the 75-year relationship as an enduring friendship and strategic partnership founded on mutual respect, trust and shared aspirations. It has said that the two countries have consistently supported each other through challenges and that their relationship represents a distinctive example of solidarity in interstate relations.
The National Day reception in Karachi is therefore expected to be more than a celebration of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. It will also provide an occasion to reflect on seven and a half decades of Pakistan-China friendship and the transformation of bilateral relations from diplomatic engagement into a wide-ranging partnership encompassing political coordination, trade, investment, infrastructure, defence and security cooperation, technology,agriculture, education and people-to-people contacts.
The relationship has witnessed sustained high-level interaction during 2026. Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif visited China in May and held meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. The two sides reviewed cooperation across political, economic and strategic fields, with particular attention to the high-quality development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, trade, investment, industrial cooperation, agricultural modernisation, information technology and science and technology.
In their joint statement following the visit, Pakistan and China described their traditional friendship, built by successive generations of leadership, as an important strategic asset of the two countries and peoples. Both sides said that throughout 75 years of diplomatic relations the friendship had remained resilient despite changes in the international and regional environment, while reiterating their commitment to building an even closer China-Pakistan Community with a Shared Future in the New Era.
The economic dimension remains one of the most visible pillars of this relationship.
From the Karakoram Highway to Gwadar Port, Pakistan-China cooperation has produced major symbols of connectivity and infrastructure development. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, has become central to the economic component of bilateral relations.
Pakistan and China are now looking towards the next stage of CPEC cooperation, with increasing emphasis on industrialisation, agriculture, socio-economic development, technology, business-to-business collaboration and sustainable growth. Pakistan’s leadership has repeatedly stressed its desire to attract greater Chinese investment, expand exports to China and translate the strategic partnership into wider economic opportunities.
Karachi and Sindh occupy an important place in this expanding economic relationship. As Pakistan’s principal commercial and financial centre and home to the country’s largest port infrastructure, Karachi remains an important gateway for Chinese companies, investors and commercial institutions operating in Pakistan. Sindh is also closely linked with CPEC-related energy, infrastructure and industrial opportunities.
The expected participation of Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah at the National Day reception would consequently underline the importance attached by the Sindh government to relations with China, particularly in areas of investment, infrastructure, transport, energy and commercial cooperation.
The anniversary year has also witnessed significant political exchanges. President Asif Ali Zardari visited the Chinese provinces of Hunan and Hainan earlier this year, while Chinese and Pakistani officials have participated in commemorative events marking 75 years of diplomatic relations. The two countries have also continued exchanges through the Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue, political-party mechanisms and other institutional channels.
The relationship, however, extends beyond governments and major infrastructure projects. Both countries have increasingly emphasised educational, cultural, media, youth and people-to-people exchanges as important elements in ensuring that the friendship developed over the past 75 years is carried forward to future generations.
The participation of diplomats, business leaders, media representatives and other prominent members of society at the Karachi reception is expected to reflect this broader dimension of bilateral ties.
For Pakistan, China has remained one of its most important diplomatic and economic partners, while Beijing has repeatedly expressed support for Pakistan’s sovereignty, stability and development. Pakistan, in turn, maintains its commitment to the One-China principle and close coordination with Beijing on issues of mutual concern. The two countries also cooperate at multilateral forums and have expressed their intention to contribute to regional peace, stability and development.
The 75th anniversary is consequently being viewed not simply as an occasion to look back at the history of Pakistan-China relations, but also as an opportunity to define their next phase. At the beginning of 2026, the two countries announced commemorative activities for the anniversary with the stated objective of consolidating friendship and expanding cooperation into new areas.
Against this backdrop, the Chinese National Day reception in Karachi carries particular symbolism. The 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China coincides with a milestone that celebrates three-quarters of a century of diplomatic relations between two countries whose leaders frequently describe their friendship as having stood the test of changing regional and international circumstances.
With Acting Consul General Feng Deheng expected to highlight China’s National Day and the significance of bilateral friendship in his welcoming address, and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah expected to speak as chief guest, the gathering is set to provide another prominent platform for reaffirming Pakistan-China friendship and highlighting opportunities for deeper cooperation.
As Pakistan and China mark 75 years of diplomatic relations, attention is increasingly turning towards the future – particularly the expansion of trade and investment, the next phase of CPEC, industrial and technological cooperation, regional connectivity and stronger exchanges between the peoples of the two countries.
The Karachi reception will thus celebrate two closely connected milestones: 77 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China and 75 years of a Pakistan-China relationship that has evolved from formal diplomatic ties into a comprehensive strategic partnership.
