Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday (November 1). Sharif will be the first foreign leader to meet Xi after being elected to a historic third term at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Beijing. The Prime Minister of Pakistan is likely to discuss trade and trade relations with China, especially Part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), “I hope this visit will help further strengthen our strategic ties and enhance trade and trade with China,” he told China Global Television Network (CGTN) in an interview reported by IANS.
“I feel truly honored and deeply touched and very happy to learn that I am one of the first world leaders to visit my brother and friendly country China. This is the depth of our friendship and our understanding and Shows and reflects the strength of our bond,” he added.
Here are the top 5 points to know about the Pakistan PM’s visit to China:
- The Pakistan PM mentioned that he would discuss the role of CPEC under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang and other leaders.
- According to The News, Sharif on October 30 expressed his desire to “expand trade and investment ties with China by making optimum use of the second phase of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement”.
- Pakistan hopes to improve its energy sector and infrastructure through the Belt and Road Initiative. BRI is an ambitious project to connect China with the rest of the world to increase trade.
- Last week, Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said any further delays would wreck the country’s rail system in a year and delay 3,100 MW of power generation.
- It should be noted that Pakistan’s debt to China is three times that of the IMF and more than the combined funding of both the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, as Geo News reported in February this year.
(with agency input)