ISLAMABAD, May 22 (Alliance News): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official visit to China from May 23 to 26 at the invitation of the Chinese government, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi announced on Friday.
Addressing a weekly press briefing in Islamabad, Andrabi said the prime minister will hold important meetings with Chinese leadership, including Xi Jinping and Li Qiang, during the visit.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will also chair a Pakistan-China Business-to-Business Conference and attend a reception ceremony in Beijing aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation and economic engagement between the two countries.
The spokesperson said the visit would further strengthen the longstanding strategic partnership between Pakistan and China and provide an opportunity to reaffirm the enduring friendship between the two nations.
“The visit will provide an opportunity to reaffirm the abiding strength of the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic partnership and advance a shared vision of building an even closer Pakistan-China community of shared future,” Andrabi stated.
He added that both sides would review bilateral relations and cooperation in political, economic and strategic sectors during the high-level engagements.
The spokesperson noted that Pakistan and China recently marked 75 years of diplomatic relations through official celebrations, highlighting that both countries had consistently supported each other during difficult times.
He said the relationship between the two countries had expanded beyond diplomacy into trade, industry, education and people-to-people exchanges, reflecting the depth of bilateral ties.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while addressing an event in Islamabad on Thursday marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China, said China had always stood firmly with Pakistan.
“China has stood like a rock with Pakistan in every difficult time,” the prime minister remarked, adding that Pakistan was the first Islamic country to recognise China.
Separately, the government has decided to issue a commemorative Rs75 coin to celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The coin will be available to the public from May 25 through exchange counters of the State Bank of Pakistan Banking Services Corporation.
Pakistan and China formally established diplomatic relations on May 21, 1951.
