ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Prime Minister Imran Khan will leave for China on Tuesday for a two-day official visit from October 8-9, 2019 at the invitation of the Premier of the State Council of the Peoples’ Republic of China H.E. Li Keqiang, the Foreign Office said on Monday.
Prime Minister Imran Khan will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Khusro Bakhtiar; the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Petroleum Nadeem Babar, the Chairman Board of Investment (BOI) Zubair Gilani and senior officials.
During his visit, the prime minister would have meetings with the Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Premier Li Keqiang.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa will join the prime minister’s meetings with the Chinese leaders Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang.
The Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Premier Li Keqiang will separately host banquets in honour of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
A number of agreements/memoranda of understanding (MoUs) are expected to be signed at a ceremony to be witnessed by the two prime ministers.
The Foreign Office said that the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan is in continuation of the long-established tradition of the leadership of the two countries meeting regularly and consulting closely on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.
The prime minister will exchange views on regional developments including the state of peace and security in South Asia arising from the situation in occupied Jammu & Kashmir since August 5, 2019.
The visit will be instrumental in further cementing Pakistan’s economic, investment and strategic ties with China.
Among other things, the prime minister will apprise the Chinese leadership of the government’s recent landmark decisions to speed-up implementation of ongoing China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects as well as efforts to project CPEC as a high-quality demonstration project of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
There will be interaction with senior representatives of the Chinese business and corporate sector for deepening bilateral trade, commercial and investment partnership.
The prime minister will also be participating in the closing ceremony of the Beijing International Horticulture Expo as a Chief Guest, where the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will be the host.
“Pakistan and China are closest friends, staunch partners and ‘iron brothers’. The two countries are joined together in an “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership”. This time-tested friendship between the two countries is based on unparalleled mutual trust, understanding and commonality of interests. The leadership of both countries is fully committed to building closer China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future in the new era,” said a statement issued by the Foreign Office.
