Pakistan FM to Visit China in First Trip Since India’s Operation Sindoor

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, will travel to China on Monday for his first official visit abroad since the recent military flare-up between India and Pakistan. During the trip, he’s expected to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for bilateral talks, and will also hold a meeting with Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, who arrives in China a day later.

According to a report by Geo News, the three leaders will also sit down for a trilateral meeting. The agenda will likely focus on boosting regional trade, improving security coordination, and discussing the broader situation in the region—especially in the aftermath of the recent India-Pakistan conflict.

This visit comes just days after India and Pakistan agreed on May 10 to a ceasefire, ending four days of intense cross-border missile and drone attacks. The fact that Dar’s first trip since the conflict is to Beijing will certainly raise some eyebrows. China has publicly welcomed the truce, calling it a step in the right direction for peace and stability in South Asia.

Tensions sparked by a terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which left 26 people dead. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, inresponse, targeting terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Indian forces claimed the operation took out over 100 militants and hit key facilities linked to groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.

Pakistan responded with attempted strikes on Indian military bases over the next three days, but India’s air defence systems—like the homegrown Akash Teer missile system—reportedly intercepted and repelled those attacks. The Indian Air Force also carried out air strikes on Pakistani bases, including one in Rahim Yar Khan, damaging radar installations.

With tensions cooling off, Dar’s visit to China looks like a step toward getting diplomacy back on track and re-engaging with key players in the region. It’s too early to say what will come of it—but there’s a lot on the line, and the region will be watching closely.