Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to visit China from June 4 to 8 following an invitation from President Xi Jinping, as announced by Pakistan’s foreign ministry on Friday. Since 2013, China’s financial aid and investments have been crucial to Pakistan’s economy, which is currently struggling. This support includes the extension of loans that have helped Islamabad meet its external financing requirements during a period of critically low foreign reserves.
The trip will seek to upgrade cooperation under the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is a key part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, the foreign office spokesman Mumtaz Baloch said in a press briefing.
“An important aspect of the prime minister’s visit will be meetings with corporate executives of leading Chinese companies dealing with oil and gas, energy, ICT and emerging technologies,” Baloch said.
Sharif will meet President Xi and hold delegation level talks with Premier Li Qiang, Baloch added.
China has also invested billions in various power projects and road networks in Pakistan under the $65 billion CPEC plan, but the implementation of various projects has slowed in recent months.
Chinese citizens and interests have been regularly attacked in Pakistan by militants, the most recent of which was the killing of six Chinese engineers in a suicide bombing in March. The engineers were working on a dam in northern Pakistan.
Beijing has pressed Pakistan to guarantee the safety of Chinese organisations and personnel working there.
The announcement of Sharif’s visit comes days after Pakistan announced it had arrested 11 Islamist militants involved in the bombing. Islamabad has said the militants operate out of Afghanistan, but Kabul has rejected the charges.
With Inputs From Reuters
