ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday arrives in Beijing on a two-day visit to China.
Senior Chinese officials received the prime minister and his delegation at Beijing Airport. This is his first official visit to China after assuming office.
The prime minister will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. He will be among the first leaders to visit China following the historic 20th National Congress of the Communist Party (CPC) of China that elected Xi Jinping as general secretary of the party for a third term.
The prime minister is leading a high-level delegation including Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister of Communications Maulana Asad Mehmood, Minister of Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister of Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Minister for Board of Investment Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Minister for Defence Production Sardar Israr Tareen, and PM’s Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi, Fahd Hussain, Zafaruddin Mahmood, Jahanzeb Khan and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
During the visit, the two sides will review the All-Weather Strategic Cooperation Partnership and exchange views on regional and global developments. He is also scheduled to meet the Chinese investors and Pakistani businessmen.
The visit is expected to advance the wide-ranging bilateral cooperation agenda with the conclusion of a number of MoUs/Agreements in diverse areas, and consolidate the momentum of CPEC cooperation in the wake of the 11th meeting of the CPEC Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) on October 27, 2022.
Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has said several MoUs and agreements will be signed during the prime minister’s visit.
In a statement, the federal minister said both sides are committed to commencing work on ML-1 and Karachi Circular Railway. He noted that the ML-1 will have a positive impact on the economies of Pakistan and China.
The minister said industrial cooperation will be promoted under the CPEC which will also create job opportunities. He said talks will also be held with the Chinese side for the promotion of cooperation in the agriculture sector.
He said the CPEC has become a milestone of Pakistan-China cooperation. He expressed confidence that the outcome of the visit will be far-reaching.
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