PM Shehbaz embarks on five-day official visit to China today

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif departed for China on Tuesday for a five-day official visit at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.

During a three-segment trip, the Prime Minister will visit the cities of Xi’an, Shenzhen, and Beijing.

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

Along with heads of important government agencies, he will meet with Zhao Leji, the chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee.

Meetings with CEOs of top Chinese firms involved in energy, ICT, oil and gas, and emerging technologies will be a significant part of the prime minister’s visit.

PM Shehbaz Sharif will speak at the China-Pakistan Business Forum in Shenzhen, attended by influential investors, businesspeople, and entrepreneurs from both nations.

He will also visit Economic and Agricultural Zones in China.

The two sides will discuss further upgrading the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and advancing trade and investment.

The talks will enhance cooperation in security and defense, energy, space, science and technology, and education.

The Chinese foreign ministry on Friday said China looks forward to the visit of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, taking it as an “opportunity to promote greater joint development”.

Spokesperson Mao Ning at her regular briefing said the official visit would boost the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic partnership and build a closer community of destiny in the new era.