President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday arrived in China on a five-day official visit at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping where he will hold wide-ranging discussions with Beijing’s top leadership.
He was accompanied by a delegation comprising Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Senator Saleem Mandviwala and Dr Asim Hussain.
President Zardari was warmly received by Chinese Finance Minister Lan Fo’an, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi, and Ambassador of China in Pakistan Jiang Zaidong, on his arrival at the Beijing International Airport.
During the visit, the president will hold meetings with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and other senior Chinese political leaders.
The two sides will discuss matters of mutual interest including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), regional connectivity, and security cooperation.
On the special invitation of the Chinese government, President Zardari will attend the inaugural ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, Heilongjiang province.
President Zardari’s visit to China is significant in further strengthening Pakistan-China relations with a specific focus on enhanced bilateral trade and commerce ties.
Pakistan points out that the visit underscores the tradition of high-level exchanges between Pakistan and China, reflecting deep commitment of the two countries to strengthen their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.
“It reaffirms mutual support on the issues of core interests, advance economic and trade cooperation including CPEC, and highlights their joint commitment to regional peace, development and stability,” added the Foreign Office.
The visit is expected to reinforce mutual commitments on key economic and security issues, reaffirming Pakistan’s strong ties with its largest trade and investment partner. President Zardari’s trip comes at a crucial time as Pakistan seeks to revitalise its economy and strengthen regional connectivity through CPEC.
Added to this are several projects under CPEC which have yet to take off because of financial constraints, but officials appear optimistic and say new agreements could be signed during the visits deepening economic collaboration and addressing regional security challenges.
