Chinese FM arrives on three-day visit

ISLAMABAD: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Pakistan for a three-day official visit on Friday.

During his visit, the Chinese foreign minister will hold delegation-level talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi, a spokesman for the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. He will also call on the president, the prime minister, National Assembly speaker, and the chief of army staff (COAS).

This is the first official visit by a Chinese dignitary since the new government was formed in Pakistan.

The Chinese state councilor is visiting Pakistan upon the invitation of Foreign Minister Qureshi, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced Thursday.

Chunying said China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic partners, adding that the two countries are ‘good neighbours, good friends, and good brothers’. She added, during the visit the Chinese FM will also visit the meet high-level leadership of Pakistan.

The two sides will exchange views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common concern, Chunying added.

Moreover, she said China-Pakistan relations have maintained a good momentum of development. “The two sides have maintained frequent high-level exchanges and pragmatic cooperation in various fields has progressed smoothly,” she added. She further said the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has achieved fruitful results. She added, Pakistan successfully held General Election and elected a new president, adding, the Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have sent congratulatory messages to President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan, respectively.

The visit of State Councilor Wang Yi would be the first high-level exchange between China and Pakistan after the formation of the new Pakistani government.
“We hope and look forward to this visit, continue the traditional friendship between China and Pakistan, promote mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, and push China-Pakistan all-weather strategic partnership to a new height” she added.