Islamabad, 13 May 2024 (TDI): Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Beijing on Monday to take part in a strategic dialogue with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretary-General Ambassador Zhang Ming.
During a four-day visit, the security of Chinese organizations and personnel working in the South Asian nation is expected to be at the top of the agenda.
Moreover, Ishaq Dar met Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretary-General Ambassador Zhang Ming, to reiterate Pakistan’s commitment to the organization’s charter and the ideals.
“He expressed Pakistan’s strong commitment to advancing SCO’s security and development cooperation agenda,” the statement said.
Under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing has pledged over $65 billion for road, rail, and other infrastructure developments in the South Asian nation of 241 million people.
Beijing has also readily provided financial assistance to bail out its often-struggling neighbor, including in July last year when China granted Pakistan a two-year rollover on a $2.4 billion loan, giving the debt-saddled nation much-needed breathing space as it tackled a balance-of-payments crisis.
This is Dar’s first official trip to China since assuming the post of foreign minister and deputy prime minister.
He will co-chair the fifth round of the Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue with Yi, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said.
“The Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar holds a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Wang Fu Kang and senior officials and with prominent business enterprises,” MoFA said.
In an earlier statement, MoFA said Dar and his counterpart would discuss issues of core interest like economic and trade cooperation, including CPEC and regional peace and development.
Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar met Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretary-General Ambassador Zhang Ming to reiterate Pakistan’s commitment to the organization’s charter and its ideals, the foreign ministry said.
“He expressed Pakistan’s strong commitment to advancing SCO’s security and development cooperation agenda,” the statement said.
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Zhang expressed his best wishes for Pakistan on assuming the role of the organization’s chair and extended the SCO secretariat’s support to the South Asian country, the foreign ministry said.
Dar’s visit to China takes place as Pakistan moves to seek foreign investments from its allies while navigating an economic crisis that has seen its reserves dip to dangerously low levels and its currency weaken against the dollar.
In recent weeks, Pakistan has seen visits by top officials from Saudi Arabia, Japan and Uzbekistan to discuss investment deals.
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