Ties with Beijing cornerstone of our foreign policy: Pak PM ahead of China visit
Oct 31, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], October 31 : Pakistan's relations with China form the cornerstone of its foreign policy, said the country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ahead of his visit to China that will begin on Tuesday.
This would be Shehbaz's first visit to China since assuming office in April this year and follows his meeting with Xi in Uzbekistan in September. He will visit China on November 1-2 to exchange views on regional and global developments, as well as, to review the All-Weather Strategic Cooperation Partnership.
The Pakistan prime minister will head a high-level delegation, including Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and hold delegation-level talks with Premier Li Keqiang.
"I would be soon in Beijing on my first bilateral visit after assuming office, and that too at an opportune time, soon after the successful conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China," Sharif wrote in an opinion piece for Chinese media outlet Global Times on October 30.
"For Pakistan, relations with China form the cornerstone of our foreign policy; in China, Pakistan is described as Ba Tie i.e. China's Iron Brother, and elsewhere our ties are appreciated for their unique strength, enduring permanence and unfathomable trust," he added.
In an earlier statement, Pakistan Foreign Ministry said the Pakistan PM will be among the first leaders to visit China following the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, where Xi secured his third term as the leader of the party.
"The Prime Minister will meet with President Xi Jinping and hold delegation-level talks with Premier Li Keqiang. The two sides will review the All-Weather Strategic Cooperation Partnership and exchange views on regional and global developments," the Pak foreign office said.
"The visit is also expected to advance the wide-ranging bilateral cooperation agenda with the conclusion of a number of MoUs/Agreements in diverse areas, and consolidate the momentum of CPEC cooperation in the wake of the 11th meeting of the CPEC Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) on 27th October 2022," it added.
Earlier, media reports said Pakistan and China are set to start three new corridors in addition to the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The formal launch of the projects, which include health and digital corridors, could take place during Shehbaz Sharif's China visit, according to The News International newspaper.
Citing unidentified sources, the Pakistan daily said the new corridors would become sources of strengthening Pakistan-China ties and would provide a new unshakable bond of the proximity of the two nations.
