Pakistan Premier Sharif to Visit China This Week

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to undertake a three-day visit to China, starting May 23, Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced, Pakistani media Dawn reported.

According to the Dawn, Ishaq Dar underscored that Pakistan and China were taking “another significant step towards innovation, digital connectivity and the economy of the future as our partnership enters a new phase in the digital age.”

He remarked that Pakistan-China friendship was “not ordinary diplomacy,” per the report.

“It is a relationship tested by time and strengthened by trust from the Karakoram Highway, carved through some of the most difficult terrain in the world, to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which transformed Pakistan’s energy and connectivity landscape,” he continued. Dawn reported.

Addressing a Senate session, Dar, who also serves as deputy prime minister, said he would accompany Sharif during the visit.

According to him, the Pakistani premier will hold meetings with Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.

Sharif is also expected to attend business-to-business meetings and participate in events marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China.

“We would also have meetings of two very important mechanisms — one, the Pakistan-China political forum, and two, the CPEC joint consultative mechanism,” Dar said, adding that a large multiparty parliamentary delegation from Pakistan would participate in several meetings in Beijing.

Beijing has not yet officially confirmed the visit.

Dar praised China’s support for Pakistan and said both countries shared a “converging vision” on regional and global issues.

“China gave massive support in eliminating outages and load-shedding in Pakistan. We will always remain grateful to China,” he said.

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