Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday praised Pakistan’s constructive role in helping reduce tensions between the United States and Iran as he held talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing.

During the meeting at the Great Hall of the People, Xi described China and Pakistan as “unbreakable” friends and reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to strengthening the long-standing strategic partnership between the two countries.

According to Chinese media, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations, regional developments and cooperation across multiple sectors, while also exchanging views on the Middle East situation and broader global issues.

Xi said China always prioritises relations with Pakistan in its neighbourhood diplomacy and noted that the two countries had stood by each other through every challenge.

“China and Pakistan have understood, trusted and supported each other over decades, forging an unbreakable traditional friendship,” Xi said while referring to PM Shehbaz as an “old friend”.

He added that Beijing was ready to work with Islamabad to build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future and expand cooperation under the all-weather strategic partnership.

The Chinese president also appreciated Pakistan’s mediation and constructive diplomatic role in easing tensions between Iran and the United States, saying Islamabad was playing a positive role in promoting regional peace and stability.

PM Shehbaz described Pakistan and China as “iron brothers” and said the bilateral relationship was “next to none”.

He said the Pakistan-China strategic cooperative partnership remained a cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy and was rooted in mutual trust, strategic cooperation and a shared commitment to development and prosperity.

Earlier, the prime minister also met Chinese Premier Li Qiang, where both sides agreed to take the China-Pakistan partnership into a new phase of high-quality cooperation.

During that meeting, the two countries signed 15 memorandums of understanding covering investment, agriculture, climate change, education and other sectors aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation.