Pakistan President Zardari to visit China on Tuesday on five-day state visit

Islamabad, Feb 3 (PTI) President Asif Ali Zardari will travel to China on Tuesday on a five-day state visit during which he will discuss a broad spectrum of bilateral relations with the Chinese leaders, with a focus on economic and trade cooperation, security collaboration, and the multi-billion dollar economic corridor (CPEC).

The Foreign Office said on Monday that President Zardari, who is visiting Beijing at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, will hold high-level meetings with the President, Premier Li Qiang, and other senior officials.

Their "discussions will encompass the full spectrum of Pakistan-China relations, with a particular focus on economic and trade cooperation; counter-terrorism and security collaboration, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and future connectivity initiatives," state-run Radio Pakistan quoted the Foreign Office as saying.

The two sides will also exchange views on regional and global geopolitical developments and cooperation in multilateral forums, it added.

The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Balochistan with China’s Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI is seen as an attempt by China to further its influence abroad with infrastructure projects funded by Chinese investments across the world.

Thousands of Chinese personnel are working in Pakistan on several projects under the aegis of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Several Chinese workers have been killed in suicide attacks by a Baloch insurgent group, which is opposed to China’s investments in the resource-rich province.

Pakistan said it has constituted a 12,000-strong para-military force to protect Chinese workers in the country.

China has asked Pakistan to make efforts to effectively close the security loopholes and demanded more targeted measures to provide full protection for the CPEC and the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan.

Zardari will also attend the inaugural ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, at the special invitation of the Chinese government, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.

In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said the visit underscores the tradition of high-level exchanges between Pakistan and China, reflecting the deep commitment of the two countries to strengthen their all-weather strategic cooperative Partnership, it added.

Zardari’s trip comes at a crucial time as Pakistan seeks to revitalise its economy and strengthen regional connectivity through CPEC. PTI ZH ZH

Source: PTI