How did the Five-Point Initiative

of China and Pakistan emerge?

Ambassador Jiang Zaidong’s Op-ed on People’s Daily

Against the backdrop of escalating conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran, and the increasing pressure on regional stability and the world economy, on March 31, China and Pakistan jointly issued the “Five-Point Initiative of China and Pakistan For Restoring Peace and Stability in the Gulf and  Middle East Region” in Beijing. The initiative calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, start of peace talks as soon as possible, security of nonmilitary targets, security of shipping lanes, and the primacy of the United Nations Charter. The Five-Point Initiative represents not only the common position of China and Pakistan but also align with the universal expectations of the international community. Consequently, it has received high attention and widespread support upon their proposal.

As iron-clad friends, China and Pakistan have consistently maintained close communication and collaboration on major hotspot issues, dedicated to promoting regional and even global peace and stability. This is both a tradition of our all-weather strategic cooperation and an inherent part of the China-Pakistan community with a shared future. Since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict, China—as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major power—has maintained close contact with relevant parties, including the parties to the conflict, to promote ceasefires and initiate diplomatic negotiations. Pakistan has actively facilitated dialogue and mediation using its own strengths, making sincere efforts to prevent further escalation of the situation. During this process, China and Pakistan maintained close communication and coordination through channels in both capitals as well as at the UN Security Council, with Foreign Ministers conducting two phone calls and holding talks in Beijing to jointly voice the call for peace and justice.

Currently, as century-old changes accelerate and the international landscape becomes increasingly complex, the smoke of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict has once again made the world fully aware of the heavy price of war. Facing escalating hegemonism, domination, and bullying, and the constant erosion of UN authority, the international community—especially the Global South—increasingly looks forward to reforming the international governance structure to uphold international fairness and justice. At last year’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Tianjin Summit, President Xi Jinping, bearing in mind the future of humanity and grasping the trends of the times, solemnly proposed the Global Governance Initiative. He emphasized adhering to sovereign equality, abiding by international rule of law, practicing multilateralism, advocating the people-centered approach, and focusing on taking real actions, providing a systematic solution for building a fairer and more reasonable global governance system. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who attended the summit, expressed firm support on the spot. The Five-Point Initiative of China and Pakistan is a vivid practice of both sides implementing the Global Governance Initiative through concrete actions.

The Five-Point Initiative of China and Pakistan has garnered support and response from numerous countries and international organizations, pooling strength to restore peace and stability in the Gulf and Middle East region. This fully demonstrates that ceasing fire is the will of the people and peace and stability are the expectations of all nations. History repeatedly shows that force is not the way to resolve problems; dialogue and negotiation are the only correct path. China will continue to work with Pakistan to unite all peace-loving countries and peoples around the world, urging relevant parties to stop this war that should never have happened, so that the region can soon return to peace and tranquility, and global energy supply and international industrial and supply chains can resume unimpeded flow.

This year marks the beginning of China's "15th Five-Year Plan" and the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. We will work with Pakistan to fully implement the important consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and Pakistani leaders, intensify high-level exchanges, advance practical cooperation, enhance people-to-people connectivity, and deepen multilateral coordination. We will deeply practice the four Global Initiatives, striving together to advance the reform of the global governance system and defend international fairness and justice, making new contributions to building a community with a shared future for humanity.