BEIJING: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif is set to hold a series of high-level engagements in Beijing today (Monday) as part of his official visit to China, with meetings scheduled with top Chinese leadership and leading investors.
The prime minister will meet President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and other senior Chinese officials to discuss bilateral cooperation and regional matters of mutual interest, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister Office on Monday.
Upon arrival at the Great Hall of the People, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be presented a guard of honour, while Premier Li Qiang will formally receive him. The two sides will also hold delegation-level talks followed by a ceremony for the exchange of memorandums of understanding and bilateral agreements between Pakistan and China.
The prime minister, accompanied by his delegation, will also visit Tiananmen Square to lay a floral wreath at the Monument to the People’s Heroes. During his stay in Beijing, Shehbaz Sharif is also expected to meet prominent Chinese investors and chief executives of leading Chinese companies to promote investment and economic cooperation.
The prime minister will additionally attend a special ceremony alongside senior Chinese leadership marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China. Pakistan and China share an “all-weather strategic cooperative partnership”, with ties spanning economic cooperation, infrastructure development, defence collaboration and regional connectivity.
China remains Pakistan’s largest trading partner and a key investor under the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Since its launch in 2015, CPEC has facilitated major investments in energy, transport and industrial infrastructure across Pakistan.
The latest visit by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif comes amid ongoing efforts by both countries to expand cooperation in trade, technology, agriculture, mining and industrial development, while also marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China.
