HANGZHOU: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Hangzhou on Saturday, beginning his four-day official visit to China.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Zhejiang province Vice Governor Xu Wenguang welcomed PM Shehbaz at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. Jiang Zaidong and Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi were also present at the airport to receive the premier.
The PMO said the prime minister is scheduled to meet Zhejiang Communist Party Secretary Wang Hao during his stay in Hangzhou.
As part of his itinerary, PM Shehbaz will attend a business forum focused on boosting cooperation between Pakistani and Chinese companies under the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. He will also participate in a ceremony for the exchange of agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).
The premier is further expected to engage with chief executive officers of major Chinese companies and visit the headquarters of Alibaba Group to enhance economic cooperation between the two countries.
Accompanying the prime minister on the visit are Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, and the PM’s adviser Tariq Fatemi.
A day earlier, Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) announced that PM Shehbaz would undertake the official visit to China from May 23 to 26.
In its statement, the FO noted that the visit carries special significance as Pakistan and China mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations. It said the trip would provide an opportunity to reaffirm the strength of the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and advance the shared vision of building a closer community with a shared future.
During the visit, PM Shehbaz is expected to hold meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
The FO stated that both sides will review bilateral cooperation in political, economic, and strategic areas, with a particular focus on the high-quality development of CPEC, trade, investment, industrial collaboration, agricultural modernisation, information technology, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges.
The prime minister will begin his engagements in Hangzhou by chairing the Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference. In Beijing, he will attend a reception hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries to commemorate 75 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
According to the FO, the visit is expected to deepen political trust, strengthen strategic coordination, expand practical cooperation, and further consolidate the longstanding friendship between Pakistan and China.
Separately, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said during his weekly press briefing that the ongoing US-Iran war is expected to feature in discussions between PM Shehbaz and the Chinese leadership.
Andrabi noted that Pakistan and China have maintained close coordination regarding the Middle East situation and related peace efforts. Referring to Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar’s visit to China last month, he said both countries had agreed on a five-point principle that was issued through a joint statement. He added that the issue would also be discussed during the prime minister’s current visit.