Pakistan, China reaffirm counterterrorism partnership at UN Police Summit in New York

Pakistan and China have reaffirmed their resolve to deepen cooperation on counterterrorism, internal security and law enforcement as senior officials from both countries met on the sidelines of the

NEW YORK: Pakistan and China have reaffirmed their resolve to deepen cooperation on counterterrorism, internal security and law enforcement as senior officials from both countries met on the sidelines of the United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS) 2026 in New York.

Pakistan’s Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who is representing the country at the two-day summit being held at the UN Headquarters on July 7-8, held a bilateral meeting with China’s Minister of State for Public Security and head of the Special Service Bureau, Ling Zhifeng. The discussions focused on expanding strategic security cooperation and addressing shared regional and global security challenges.

The meeting took place during the UN summit, which has brought together interior ministers, police chiefs and senior UN officials from across the world to explore ways of strengthening international policing, enhancing peacekeeping capabilities and improving collaboration against terrorism and transnational organised crime.

During their talks, the Pakistani and Chinese ministers reaffirmed the longstanding strategic partnership between the two countries and agreed to broaden cooperation in several areas of internal security. Both sides stressed the importance of closer coordination on border management, curbing illegal immigration, combating narcotics trafficking and improving intelligence-sharing to address emerging security threats.

Speaking during the meeting, Mohsin Naqvi emphasised that terrorist financing remains one of the biggest challenges facing the international community and called for coordinated global efforts to dismantle financial networks that support extremist organisations. He stressed that countries involved in providing financial or logistical assistance to terrorist groups must be held accountable through collective international action.

Naqvi reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening security cooperation with China, particularly in ensuring the safety of Chinese citizens working on development and infrastructure projects across Pakistan. He noted that Pakistan has established a dedicated Special Protection Police Force to provide enhanced security to Chinese nationals and safeguard strategic investments.

The interior minister also highlighted the importance of promoting greater people-to-people exchanges between Pakistan and China, saying that easier visa procedures would further strengthen bilateral ties, facilitate business and encourage cultural and educational cooperation.

Chinese Minister Ling Zhifeng praised Pakistan’s significant sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and acknowledged the country’s efforts to eliminate extremist networks despite facing complex security challenges. He expressed China’s willingness to continue working closely with Pakistan in counterterrorism operations and said both countries would also review visa and immigration-related matters to facilitate greater cooperation.

Pakistan, Sri Lanka agree to expand security cooperation

Separately, Mohsin Naqvi also met Sri Lanka’s Interior Minister Ananda Wijepala on the sidelines of the summit, where both sides agreed to strengthen collaboration in tackling narcotics trafficking and organised crime.

The two ministers discussed expanding cooperation in police training, intelligence-sharing and law enforcement capacity building. They also agreed to increase coordination to combat illegal immigration, forged travel documents and passport fraud, which have become growing concerns in the region.

To improve operational coordination, both countries decided that the heads of their respective immigration authorities would establish immediate contact and develop mechanisms for closer cooperation on cross-border security matters.

The meeting also included discussions on a proposed memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at enhancing joint efforts against criminal networks, money laundering and other forms of transnational crime. Both sides agreed to establish a joint working group between their interior ministries to oversee the implementation of agreed initiatives and identify new areas of cooperation.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka further agreed to address pending visa-related issues on a priority basis to facilitate official exchanges and strengthen bilateral engagement.

Naqvi’s meetings with Chinese and Sri Lankan counterparts form part of Pakistan’s broader diplomatic outreach during the UN Chiefs of Police Summit, where the country is seeking to enhance international cooperation on counterterrorism, law enforcement reforms and regional security.