Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif To Visit China Next Week; Will Hold Talk To Upgrade CPEC

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, from 4 to 8 June, the Pakistan Foreign Ministry confirmed on Friday.

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif will hold meetings with the Chinese President along with other officials.

"At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official visit to China from 4 to 8 June. The visit will have three segments," Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a press briefing.

The Pakistan PM and Chinese president will hold discussions to upgrade the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. CPEC is a USD 50 billion Pakistani component of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The 3,000 km Chinese infrastructure network project is under construction in Pakistan and aims to connect Pakistan's Gwadar and Karachi ports to China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region by land.

"The two sides will further undertake discussions to strengthen the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, upgrade China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, advance trade and investment and enhance cooperation in defence, energy space, science and technology and education," Baloch said.

Besides Beijing, the Pakistan PM will visit the cities of Xian and Shenzhen.

In Beijing, Shehbaz Sharif will meet Xi Jinping and hold delegation-level talks with Premier Li Qiang.

Further, he will also hold meetings with the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress Zhao Leji and heads of key government Department, Baloch said.

Moreover, Shehbaz Sharif will address the Pakistan-China Business Forum in Shenzhen with leading business entrepreneurs and investors from both countries.

"An important part of PM's visit will be meetings with corporate executives of leading Chinese companies, dealing in oil and gas, energy, ICT, and emerging technologies," Baloch said.

He will also visit economic and agricultural zones in China.

Foreign Affairs Ministry Spokesperson emphasised that the PM's visit is a manifestation of the iron-clad China-Pakistan friendship characterized by frequent high-level exchanges and dialogues. (ANI)