BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying announced the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to the Chinese capital and expressed hope that it would bring the bilateral ties to a new height.
Making the announcement at the regular news briefing, she said the Chinese government attaches great importance to this visit.
The spokesperson said, “China has invited Prime Minister Imran Khan to pay an official visit to China in early November and attend the first China International Import Expo. China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic partners, and the relationship between the two countries has always been operating at a high level.”
After being elected prime minister, Imran Khan emphasised that he should continue to regard relations with China as the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy and firmly promote the construction of the China-Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC).
Shortly after the establishment of the new Pakistani government, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Pakistan and reached broad consensus with the Pakistani leaders on China-Pakistan relations and cooperation in various fields.
“We are willing to work with the Pakistani side to make China-Pakistan relations a model of good-neighborliness and friendship, a pillar of regional peace and stability, and a benchmark for building the “Belt and Road,” said the spokesperson.
“We are willing to work together with the Pakistani side to make Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to China a complete success and to promote new and greater development of China-Pakistan relations.”
To a question, the spokesperson said that China has noticed difficulties Pakistan was facing with regards to debt and supported the Pakistani side to take measures to respond positively.
“We have also provided assistance to the Pakistani side to the best of our ability. We believe that the Pakistani government has the ability to overcome temporary difficulties and maintain a healthy and stable economic development.”
Earlier, the Chinese ambassador to Islamabad Yao Jing said that Chinese leadership is eagerly awaiting Prime Minister Imran Khan to meet him in Beijing in first week of next month.
“The visit is very important and the Chinese government is prepared to extend all possible help to Pakistan, enabling it to successfully face the current economic challenges,”Jing said.
Yao Jing, while expressing China’s strong commitment with Pakistan for its socio-economic uplift, assured that ‘China wants to invest in Pakistan and buy from Pakistan’.
“We fully stand by Pakistan for the socio-economic well-being of the people,” he said adding that CPEC is a step forward for building a strong and prosperous Pakistan.
