Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Ambassador Khalil Hashmi’s remarks at
Seminar “SCO’s ‘China Year 2025’: Upholding the ‘Shanghai Spirit’”
China-Pakistan Study Center (CPSC), ISSI
22 August 2025 at 1030hrs (PST)
Director General, ISSI, Ambassador Sohail Mahmood,
Director CPSC, Dr. Talat Shabbir,
Current and Former National Coordinator of Pakistan for SCO
Ambassadors, Colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am very pleased to be here today at this seminar on “SCO’s China Year 2025: Upholding the Shanghai Spirit.” I am visiting Islamabad for FM Wang Yi’s visit which has been very productive. It entailed the latest round of Strategic Dialogue, which was held in the finest tradition of Pakistan-China relations.
Let me begin by thanking the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and its China-Pakistan Study Center (CPSC) for organizing this seminar. ISSI has become a trusted platform for ideas, debate, and research. It connects policymakers, scholars, and the wider public in ways that make our foreign policy conversations richer and more grounded.
The theme of today’s seminar is timely and relevant, as Pakistan and China, together with SCO partners, seek to strengthen cooperation, connectivity, and shared prosperity in a region of both great opportunities and complex challenges.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is, without doubt, one of the most important regional organizations today. It brings together diverse nations under the values of mutual trust, equality, dialogue, and shared development, values that are captured so well in what we call the “Shanghai Spirit”.
Ladies and gentlemen,
China’s leadership of the SCO this year has brought fresh energy and direction. Under the guidance of President Xi Jinping, the Organization has sharpened its focus on regional cooperation, connectivity, digital transformation, and green development. President Xi’s vision of a community of shared future for mankind finds very real expression in the SCO’s work. It is this vision that has allowed the SCO to become more than just a group of states, it is a platform where we can find common ground despite our differences.
In just a few days, leaders of the SCO family will meet in Tianjin. The Heads of State Summit will give us an opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved and to chart the course for the years ahead. Pakistan looks forward to contributing to these important deliberations.
For Pakistan, the SCO is of special importance. It provides opportunity for its members and offers non-members a platform to meet and for the organization to act as a bridge-builder, a consensus-builder, and a reminder that dialogue is always better than confrontation.
Our expectations from the SCO are straightforward. Pakistan wants stronger cooperation against terrorism and extremism. We want peace and security in our region. We want to see connectivity, trade, and people-to-people exchanges expand. And we want to work together for sustainable development that benefits all and does not leave anyone behind.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me cite here the salience of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor for SCO members. CPEC is not just a project between two countries, it is a platform that connects the wider SCO region. From roads and railways to energy and digital corridors, CPEC is opening doors for trade and integration across Eurasia. It offers SCO members a pathway to new markets and to the seas.
Our own relationship with China — the iron brotherhood and all-weather partnership — is the strongest pillar of our foreign policy. It has stood the test of time. The SCO gives us another avenue to deepen this partnership and to bring its benefits to the whole region.
It is clear that Pakistan’s priorities and the SCO’s agenda fit naturally together. We both want peace and security. We both want better connectivity and development. We both believe in inclusivity, dialogue, and consensus. That is why Pakistan sees the SCO as such a useful platform.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The SCO has proven its value as a community of cooperation and shared aspirations. Under President Xi’s leadership, the Organization has gained new relevance and direction. The Tianjin Summit will give us a chance to renew our collective commitment.
For Pakistan, this is not just diplomacy, it is about advancing a vision of regional peace, prosperity, and stability that we share with China and all SCO partners. We remain fully committed to upholding the Shanghai Spirit, and to making the SCO a true engine of cooperation and progress.
Let me end with a thought from a Chinese proverb: “When people are of one mind and heart, they can move mountains.” In Pakistan, we have a similar saying “unity is strength”. The SCO embodies this wisdom. Together, with unity of purpose, there is no challenge too great, and no mountain too high.
Once again thanks to ISSI for the opportunity.
Thank you.
*****