ISTANBUL 

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday arrived in China for a 10-day tour of the world's second largest economy.

Zardari began his trip with the first stop in Chengdu city in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, according to a statement from his Pakistan People's Party.

The Pakistani president was received by China's Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, Vice Governor of Sichuan Huang Ruixue, Pakistan’s Ambassador Khalil Hashmi and Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong.

He will hold talks with Chinese senior officials to enhance Islamabad-Beijing relations, including further development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor – a $64 billion infrastructure project connecting China's Xinjiang province with Balochistan's Gwadar port in southwestern Pakistan.

Since establishing diplomatic ties in 1950, Beijing and Islamabad have described their relationship as an “all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.”

The advancement of the partnership will also be discussed during the visit.

After Chengdu, Zardari will travel to Shanghai and Xinjiang.

China has become Pakistan’s largest arms supplier, while bilateral trade volume surpassed $23 billion in 2024.