Pakistan has emerged as a central mediator between the US and Iran, hosting talks last month.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met Sunday in Tehran with Iran’s chief negotiator and speaker of parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir was due in Tehran on Thursday, Iranian media reported.
China has played a quieter role, shepherding phone calls and meetings with officials of affected Gulf countries.
After high-profile talks with President Xi in Beijing last week, Trump told Fox News the Chinese leader had offered China’s help to open the Hormuz Strait – the key oil route largely blocked since the war erupted.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Islamabad this month to “step up mediation efforts” in the Middle East, speaking to his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar in a call.
In the past two weeks, Beijing has hosted visits from Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This would be Sharif’s first visit to China in 2026 after he went last year for a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Tianjin – hosted by Xi in late August – and a massive military parade in Beijing shortly after.
“IRON BROTHERS”
Pakistan and China have maintained close diplomatic and strategic relations for decades, often describing their partnership as an “all-weather friendship” that is “higher than the Himalayas, deeper than the oceans, sweeter than honey and stronger than steel”.
The countries – which share a 523km long border and call themselves as “Iron brothers” – on Thursday celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations, with commemorative messages shared by Xi, Sharif and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.
China is Pakistan’s largest trading partner and a major investor, particularly through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and has poured tens of billions of dollars to fund massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects.
The visit comes just as Rubio is set to travel to India, Pakistan’s neighbouring rival.
The two countries also cooperate closely on defence, trade, and regional security.
Last May, Islamabad used Chinese-made military hardware, including fighter jets, against India during a brief conflict.
Their ties have strengthened further in recent years amid shifting geopolitical dynamics in South Asia, particularly in relation to India.