Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday departed Islamabad for China on a four-day official visit aimed at strengthening bilateral strategic cooperation and expanding economic engagement between the neighboring countries.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the prime minister would reach Hangzhou in the first phase of his visit. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, I.T. Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi are accompanying him, it added.
“The visit assumes special significance as Pakistan and China commemorate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. It will provide an opportunity to reaffirm the abiding strength of the Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership and advance the shared vision of building an even closer Pakistan-China Community with a Shared Future,” read a statement issued by the Foreign Office.
During his stay in Hangzhou, Sharif would meet the Zhejiang party secretary and chair the Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference on I.T. and Telecom, Battery Energy Storage Systems, and Agriculture. He would also witness the exchange of agreements and memoranda of understanding between companies from both countries.
In the second phase of the visit, the prime minister would travel to Beijing for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. The two sides are slated to review bilateral cooperation in the political, economic, and strategic domains, with particular focus on the high-quality development of CPEC, trade, investment, industrial cooperation, agricultural modernization, information technology, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges.
“The visit is expected to further deepen political trust, strengthen strategic coordination, expand practical cooperation, and consolidate the longstanding friendship between Pakistan and China,” added the Foreign Office statement.