Prime Minister Imran Khan is on a four-day visit to China to be present at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing and hold meetings with the top leadership of China, including President Xi Jinping.
PM Khan will be one of the thirty international leaders who will be attending the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics that is to be opened by the Chinese President today, on Friday.
His visit also marks the culmination of celebrations commemorating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between two all-weather allies.
PM Imran Khan arrived in Beijing on Thursday with the delegation comprising of key leadership of Pakistan Government including Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Special Assistant on China- Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Khalid Mansoor, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, National Security Advisor Moeed Yousaf, Planning Minister Asad Umar, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Commerce Advisor Abdul Razak Dawood.
In addition to attending the opening ceremony, the premier will also hold talks with President Xi and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang to have discussions on various issues of bilateral interest including trade and economic cooperation particularly under the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework along with the regional and international affairs.
Earlier today, the Prime Minister held a virtual meeting in Beijing with Mr. He Lifeng, who is the Chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. In the meeting, both sides reviewed the development of ongoing CPEC projects and discussed the preparations for upcoming initiatives, told a press release issued by the PM office.
In his remarks, the Prime Minister said that Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership was time-tested and timeless. Despite COVID-19 pandemic, work on all CPEC projects progressed steadily due to joint cooperation of both sides. The Prime Minister appreciated efforts of the NDRC and relevant authorities of both sides in this regard, said the PR.
According to the statement, both sides welcomed the signing of the Framework Agreement on Industrial Cooperation between the Board of Investment (BOI) and the NDRC during the meeting. The agreement would, inter alia, facilitate the relocation of China’s industrial units to CPEC SEZs and accelerate investment from China and elsewhere.