Dar meets Xi, conveys ‘warm greetings'
Dar arrived at the Great Hall of the People for the SCO Foreign Ministers' Group Meeting with President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson said in a statement.
Dar in a statement on social media said that he was delighted to meet earlier Tuesday President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. 'Conveyed the warm greetings of the leadership, government and people of Pakistan. As iron-clad brothers and All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partners, we remain committed to deepening Pak-China enduring friendship and advancing shared regional goals,' he remarked.
The Chinese president, welcoming the Heads of Delegations, underlined the 'salience of regional cooperation' under the ambit of SCO, an organisation covering the Eurasian land mass and a large expanse of the world's population.
Meanwhile, Dar held bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of SCO member states on sideline of CFM. He met with the Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Kulubaev Zheenbek Moldokanovic, at the Great Hall in Beijing on the margins of the SCO CFM.
Both reaffirmed their commitment to the longstanding bilateral relationship and to enhancing collaboration across all areas of mutual interest.
The deputy prime minister also signed SCO documents on behalf of Pakistan during the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting in Tianjin, China.
Furthermore, Dar met with the Foreign Minister of Iran, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the SCO CFM in Tianjin, China.
Both leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation across diverse areas and discussed the evolving regional situation following the recent Israeli aggression against Iran.
Dar reaffirmed Pakistan's unwavering solidarity with the people and Government of Iran, and reiterated Pakistan's commitment to regional peace and stability, emphasising that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path to de-escalation and lasting peace.
At the invitation of Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi, the deputy prime minister is currently leading Pakistan delegation to the meeting of SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) being held on 14-16 July 2025 in Tianjin.
Foreign Ministers of all SCO member States, including Pakistan, China, Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are participating in the CFM meeting. Foreign Minister of Belarus has been attending the CFM for the first time as member of SCO.
The CFM is the third highest forum in the SCO format.
It focuses on the issues of international relations, as well as foreign and security policies of SCO. The forum approves the documents, including declaration and statements, etc. that are to be presented for the consideration of the Council of Heads of State (CHS) as well as the decisions to be adopted by the CHS.
The upcoming CHS will take place on 31 August – 01 September 2025 in Tianjin, China.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
19 minutes ago
- Business Recorder
China stocks slip on trade concerns; Hong Kong ends lower
SHANGHAI: Mainland China stocks slipped on Wednesday as concerns lingered over trade relations with the U.S., while Hong Kong gave up earlier gains and ended lower after investors digested Nvidia's resumption of chip sales to China. At the close, the Shanghai Composite index was down 0.03% at 3,503.78 points, while the blue-chip CSI300 index was down 0.3%. U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the country would fight China 'in a very friendly fashion'. 'In our base case, we assume that the U.S. tariff rate on China would stay unchanged at 30% — but the recent escalation of U.S. tariffs on other economies is likely to further dampen global trade momentum,' Morgan Stanley economists said in a note. 'In particular, the U.S. has started addressing transshipment concerns by introducing a two-tiered tariff structure on imports from Vietnam — 20% for direct imports and 40% for those deemed transhipments from China. If similar measures are extended to other countries, this could further pressure China's export performance.' China stocks wobble after GDP data while HK gains on tech rally In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng index ended down 0.29% at 24,517.76 points. Tech giants listed in Hong Kong dropped 0.24%. Nvidia's planned resumption of sales of its H20 AI chips to China is part of U.S. negotiations on rare earths, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Tuesday, and comes days after its CEO met Trump. Rival AI chipmaker AMD also said the U.S. Department of Commerce would review its licence applications to export its MI308 chips to China. Meanwhile, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang described AI models from Chinese firms Deepseek, Alibaba and Tencent as 'world class' and said AI was 'revolutionising' supply chains, at an exhibition in Beijing on Wednesday. Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index was weaker by 0.21%, while Japan's Nikkei index closed down 0.04%.
Business Recorder
30 minutes ago
- Business Recorder
Iron ore rises on strengthening Australia-China ties; housing concerns persist
SINGAPORE: Iron ore futures climbed on Wednesday, buoyed by strengthening ties between top producer Australia and leading consumer China, though gains were capped by concerns over persistent weakness in China's property sector. The most-traded September iron ore contract on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) ended daytime trade 1.05% higher at 773 yuan ($107.70) a metric ton. The benchmark August iron ore on the Singapore Exchange was 1.04% higher at $99.95 a ton, as of 0754 GMT. With Australia's exports to China dominated by iron ore, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese travelled to Beijing with executives from mining giants Rio Tinto, BHP , and Fortescue, who met Chinese steel industry officials on Monday. Iron ore futures rise on strong China trade data After a meeting between Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the two countries agreed to a new Policy Dialogue on Steel Decarbonisation, granting Australia insight into Chinese government planning. Albanese also said a decade-old free trade agreement with China, Australia's largest trade partner, would be reviewed. Despite the new decarbonisation dialogue, BHP has determined that producing low-carbon steel products is too costly, and has decided 'not to produce green iron or steel ourselves.' Demand for steel in the Chinese manufacturing industry remains high, while expectations of supply-side policy actions have also driven prices, broker Galaxy Futures said in a note. Amid a persistent slowdown in China's property market, crude steel output in June fell 9.2% from the year before, leaving first-half production at its weakest since 2020. This has offset positive sentiment building up in recent weeks on signs of robust demand, analysts from ANZ said in a note. Other steelmaking ingredients on the DCE fell, with coking coal and coke down 1.48% and 1.45%, respectively. Most steel benchmarks on the Shanghai Futures Exchange lost ground. Rebar dipped 0.48%, hot-rolled coil decreased 0.31%, wire rod eased 0.45% and stainless steel was flat.
Business Recorder
31 minutes ago
- Business Recorder
Japan rubber futures rise on Thai flood concerns, weak demand caps gains
Japanese rubber futures rebounded on Wednesday, fuelled by supply shortage fears after top producer Thailand warned of possible flash floods, although sluggish global demand capped gains. The Osaka Exchange (OSE) rubber contract for December delivery ended daytime trade up 3.5 yen, or 1.1%, at 320.5 yen ($2.16) per kg. The rubber contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) for September delivery climbed 80 yuan, or 0.55%, to 14,500 yuan ($2,020.31) per metric ton. The most-active August butadiene rubber contract on the SHFE fell 65 yuan, or 0.56%, to 11,525 yuan ($1,605.80) per ton. Thailand's meteorological agency warned of heavy rains and accumulations that may cause flash floods and overflows from July 19-21. The market is currently paying attention to the Thai flood warning, said Chinese broker Hexun Futures. Japanese rubber futures firm on weather woes The greenback strengthened to 148.91 yen per dollar after reaching a 3-1/2-month peak earlier in the session. A weaker Japanese currency makes yen-denominated assets more affordable to overseas buyers. Oil prices rose on expectations of steady demand in the U.S. and China. Natural rubber often takes direction from oil prices as it competes for market share with synthetic rubber, which is made from crude oil. Amidst the peak production season across rubber-producing countries, as well as damp international demand, there could be some cap to the upside, said Farah Miller, founder of independent rubber-focused firm Helixtap Technologies. Rubber crops usually undergo a season of low production from February to May, before a peak harvesting period that lasts until September. The front-month rubber contract on Singapore Exchange's SICOM platform for August delivery last traded at 167.3 U.S. cents per kg, up 0.7%.
