Ministers hope PM’s China visit to bolster ties

NSA says Pakistan and China to make joint efforts against terrorism

ISLAMABAD:

Several federal ministers and government advisers hailed on Thursday the ongoing visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to the brotherly country China to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics and to meet the Chinese leadership.

They said in separate statements and video messages that the visit would help promote high-level exchanges and expand bilateral relations in diverse sectors, and expressed their confidence that the Chinese investment would further increase in Pakistan after the visit.

Imran arrived in Beijing on Thursday at the special invitation of the Chinese leadership. According to the Foreign Office he is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including members of his cabinet and senior government officials.

According to Radio Pakistan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in a statement that the visit would help promote high-level exchanges. He added that several Chinese companies were desirous of making investments in Pakistan.

Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin said the prime minister would propose the Chinese leadership to relocate their industry to Pakistan's special economic zones (SEZs). Planning Minister Asad Umar hoped that Chinese investment in Pakistan would further increase with the prime ministerial visit.

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In a video message, National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf said the visit would provide an opportunity to discuss ways to promote peace in Afghanistan. He added that Pakistan and China would make joint efforts to ensure that terrorism was not carried out from the Afghan soil.

Dr Yusuf said that China wanted extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan and Pakistan was in favour of the proposal. He added he has recently visited Afghanistan, and the Afghan interim government had also expressed keenness for it.

Briefing the media persons in Islamabad ahead of the prime minister’s departure for Beijing, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry expressed the confidence that the visit would further expand the bilateral ties and more Chinese businessmen would come to Pakistan.

Chaudhry said that Prime Minister Imran would hold meetings with the Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. In addition, he added, the prime minister was also scheduled to meet the Chinese investors and businessmen.

In his video message, Adviser on Commerce Razak Dawood said that the talks with the Chinese side would focus on improving trade relations and exports. “We want to bring further improvement in certain areas of the free-trade agreement,” he said.

He particularly mentioned the export of rice, cement, fruits and vegetables. He was confident that the visit would help Pakistan bolster its exports. The adviser added that Pakistan also wanted acquisition of the latest technology from China to strengthen its agriculture sector.

(WITH INPUT FROM NEWS DESK)