Chinese Premier, Li Qiang has arrived in Islamabad for a four-day official visit, as Pakistan prepares to host two-day summit of government leaders from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Li’s visit is the first by a Chinese Premier to Pakistan in 11 years, Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office said as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received Li at the airport.
Shortly after Li’s arrival, the Prime Minister of Pakistan said that he was delighted to welcome his Chinese counterpart and looked forward to a “historic and productive visit.”
“We will review progress on existing initiatives, especially CPEC and also explore new avenues of mutually beneficial cooperation. Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership is a cornerstone of regional stability and prosperity.”
Shehbaz Sharif
According to a Foreign Office statement, Premier Li will call on President Asif Ali Zardari and hold meetings with parliamentary leaders and senior military leadership of the country.
The Foreign Office termed the Chinese official’s visit as “an expression of the importance attached by Pakistan and China to their ‘All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership.’”
The statement noted that it will be an occasion for the two sides to reaffirm mutual support on issues of core interest; advance high-quality development of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and reinforce regular exchanges on important regional and global developments.
It added that the Chinese Premier will be accompanied by ministers and senior officials, including from the ministries of foreign affairs and commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the China International Development Cooperation Agency.
During his visit, Premier Li would also attend the much-anticipated SCO meeting scheduled for Tuesday, October 15, 2024 and Wednesday, October 16, 2024 in Islamabad.
The SCO participants will be represented by the Prime Ministers of China, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as the Vice President of Iran and the External Affairs Minister of India.
Mongolia’s Prime Minister will attend the meeting as an observer, and Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister will be present as special guests.
The meeting will discuss ongoing cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, the environment, and sociocultural linkages, as well as review the organization’s performance, the statement said.
The leaders will adopt important organizational decisions to further enhance cooperation among SCO member states and approve the organization’s budget.
Islamabad Under Strict Security Lockdown
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, has been put under a strict security lockdown.
To boost security for the SCO meeting, the Pakistani government announced a public holiday in Islamabad for three days, with schools and businesses shut and large contingents of police and paramilitary forces deployed across the city.
Pakistani soldiers will be responsible for the security of the capital’s Red Zone, where most of the meetings will be held, according to the Ministry of interior. It is also home to parliament and is a diplomatic enclave.
Tensions have mounted after the main opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan called for a protest on Tuesday in Islamabad if the government did not allow Khan’s family members, lawyers and doctors to meet him in prison.
Early this month, Khan’s supporters rallied in Islamabad to push for his release, leading to clashes with security forces.
Islamabad has also sought to curb all movement of Chinese nationals in the city, citing fears of violence from armed groups.
On October 6, an attack with explosives near Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport killed two Chinese nationals. The Balochistan Liberation Army, a separatist armed group, claimed responsibility.
The attacks on Chinese nationals are likely to figure in the talks as Li and Sharif lead their respective delegations to discuss economic and trade ties and cooperation under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $65bn infrastructure investment under Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Li is also likely to inaugurate the CPEC-funded Gwadar International Airport in the southwestern province of Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.
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