PM Shehbaz departs on 4-day visit to China

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday departed on a four-day visit to China, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). In a post on X, the PMO said that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, IT Minister Shaza Fatima, and PM’s adviser Tariq Fatemi were also accompanying the premier on the trip. > A day earlier, the Foreign Office had announced that the premier would undertake an official visit to China from May 23 to 26. “The visit assumes special significance as Pakistan and China commemorate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. It will provide an opportunity to reaffirm the abiding strength of the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and advance the shared vision of building an even closer Pakistan-China community with a shared future,” it said. > During the visit, PM Shehbaz will hold meetings with the Chinese leadership, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. “The two sides will review bilateral cooperation in the political, economic, and strategic domains, with particular focus on the high-quality development of CPEC, trade, investment, industrial cooperation, agricultural modernization, information technology, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges,” the FO said. The premier will begin his visit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, where he will chair the Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference. In Beijing, he will attend a reception hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries to commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China. “The visit is expected to further deepen political trust, strengthen strategic coordination, expand practical cooperation, and consolidate the longstanding friendship between Pakistan and China,” the statement concluded. Separately, FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said during his weekly press briefing that the US-Iran war was expected to come up during discussions between PM Shehbaz and the Chinese leadership. “Pakistan and China have maintained close coordination on the standoff in the Middle East and our peace efforts in this regard,” Andrabi said, recalling DPM Dar’s visit to China last month. “We agreed on a five-point principle, which was issued as a joint statement. So, yes, this issue will be discussed during the prime minister’s visit,” he added.