PM Shehbaz Sharif likely to visit China from June 4 to 7

Shehbaz Sharif. Pic/AFP

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to embark on an official visit to China from June 4 to 7, according to ARY News. During his four-day visit, PM Sharif will meet with the Chinese President and Prime Minister to discuss the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and other bilateral issues.

CPEC is a USD 50 billion Pakistani component of China's Belt and Road Initiative, which includes a 3,000-kilometer infrastructural network connecting Pakistan's Gwadar and Karachi ports to China's Xinjiang province.

This will be Prime Minister Sharif's first visit to Beijing since taking power following the February 8 general election. He is currently in the UAE on a brief visit and is scheduled to meet with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other Emirati authorities, reported ANI.

According to the report, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar recently visited Beijing to co-chair the Fifth Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Pakistan and China have agreed to accelerate CPEC projects, with an emphasis on industrial collaboration, artificial intelligence, and agricultural development. They also plan to improve Gwadar's connection by building the Eastbay Motorway to fully realise the port's potential, the ANI report added.

This agreement was made during a meeting on Friday in Beijing between Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal and Vice Chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission Zhao Chenxin, reported ANI.

The news agency report further stated that the two parties agreed to implement the Industrial Cooperation Framework Agreement and create an Action Plan for modernising industry, mining, and mineral sectors.

They also resolved to prioritize cooperation in Artificial Intelligence and agriculture modernization in the second phase of CPEC, the news agency report stated.

With ANI inputs