President Asif Ali Zardari visits Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) in Beijing, China, September 14, 2025. — X@PresOfPakistan

Zardari vows deeper Pakistan-China defence ties during AVIC visit

President Asif Ali Zardari visits Aviation Industry Corporation of China in Beijing, China, September 14, 2025. — X@PresOfPakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to broaden defence and aviation cooperation with China, underscoring the...

President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepening defence and aviation cooperation with China, highlighting the importance of their strategic partnership during a landmark visit to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

AVIC, China’s premier aerospace and defence conglomerate, designs and manufactures a wide range of military and civilian aircraft. Zardari’s visit marked a historic first, as no foreign head of state had previously toured the AVIC complex.
The president was accompanied by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto, 

First Lady Aseefa Bhutto, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi, and Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong.

During his tour, Zardari praised the role of the J-10 and JF-17 fighter jets in strengthening Pakistan’s air defence, noting their effectiveness during Ma‘raka-e-Haq and Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, Pakistan’s response to recent Indian aggression. He inspected the production facilities of the J-10C fighter jet, 

Which played a key role in the recent conflict, and met with AVIC engineers and scientists to discuss innovation, production, and emerging technologies.

Briefings highlighted AVIC’s cutting-edge capabilities, including the co-production of the JF-17 Thunder with Pakistan, advancements in the J-20 stealth fifth-generation fighter jet, unmanned aerial systems, fully automated production units, and integrated command-and-control systems for multi-domain operations.

Zardari lauded AVIC as both a symbol of China’s technological progress and a testament to the enduring strategic partnership between Pakistan and China.

Separately, the president travelled from Chengdu to Mianyang on a high-speed train, completing the journey in about 30 minutes. During the trip, he was briefed on the train’s safety systems, operations, and environmental benefits.

Praising China’s achievements in sustainable transport, Zardari highlighted innovations such as pollution-free electric propulsion and earthquake early warning technologies, calling them “a marvel of railway engineering.” He noted that such advancements offered valuable lessons for Pakistan and other countries.

Officials pointed out that China operates the world’s largest high-speed rail network, spanning over 45,000 km of dedicated track and carrying more than 2 billion passengers annually. With trains reaching speeds of up to 350 km/h, the network connects nearly all major Chinese cities and has become a global model for modern connectivity.