India, May 26 -- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday met Chinese President Xi Jinping, who hailed Beijing's "unbreakable" friendship with Islamabad and commended Pakistan for taking the initiative to play a mediating role in restoring peace in West Asia.

During the meeting at the Great Hall of the People, Xi called Shehbaz an "old friend" and said the two countries "understood, trusted and supported each other" over decades, forging an "unbreakable traditional friendship," according to Dawn newspaper. "China commends Pakistan for taking the initiative to play a mediating role in restoring peace in the Middle East," Xi told Shehbaz, who was accompanied by Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir who concluded his visit to Iran...