Beijing (TDI): Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who is currently on an official visit to China, met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in the capital city.
The meeting followed the end of the SCO Summit in Tianjin and PM Sharif congratulated Xi Jinping on the successful conclusion on the of the Summit.
The visit of the Pakistani PM also coincides with the Grand Parade happening in China tomorrow, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of China against Japanese aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, which Sharif will attend as a state guest.
Sharif also took the opportunity to invite President Xi to Pakistan next year, which will be the 75th annual celebration of establishment of bilateral relations between Pakistan and China.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, and Chief of the Armed Forces, General Asim Munir, were also present in the meeting.
President Xi said, “As the once-in-a-century transformations are unfolding faster across the world, a robust China-Pakistan relationship is vital for regional peace and development,” according to an official statement by China’s Embassy in the United States.
Prime Minister Sharif said that Pakistan takes great pride in China’s achievements and would always stand ready to work together while President Xi noted that China would continue to assist Pakistan in all fields of economic growth and development.
Both leaders also talked about ushering the second Phase of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that would focus on Pakistan’s most important economic sectors through five new corridors.
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They agreed that the relationship between Pakistan and China is unique and unparalleled. They also exchanged views on important regional and global developments and agreed to continue collaboration.
Xi added: “China is ready to work with Pakistan to build the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor 2.0 and upgrade the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, and step up cooperation in industries, agriculture, and mining, with the aim of boosting Pakistan’s home-grown capacity for development.”
PM Sharif hailed Xi’s strong commitment to strengthen multilateralism and said Pakistan fully supports the steps taken in this regard including the Global Governance Initiative, Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative as well as Global Civilization Initiative.
The Prime Minister appreciated China’s unflinching support to Pakistan’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and socio-economic development, and expressed hope that the next phase of CPEC will be put on track with mutual agreements.
Sohail Majeed
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
