CPEC revitalisation in focus as PM arrives in Beijing
Senior Chinese officials warmly receive Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif upon his arrival in Beijing on Tuesday, November 1. PHOTO: APP
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Beijing on Tuesday on a two-day official visit to meet Chinese leadership and review the ‘All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership’ and discuss regional and global developments.
Upon his arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport, Assistant Foreign Minister of China Wu Jinaghao warmly received the prime minister and his delegation.
During his first official visit to China as the prime minister, Shehbaz will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. Prime Minister Shehbaz is also scheduled to meet Chinese investors and Pakistani businessmen.
Shehbaz is among the first leaders to visit China following the historic 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) that elected Xi Jinping as the General Secretary of the party.
Read PM to discuss CPEC in maiden visit to China today
Before his departure for Beijing, Shehbaz said that during the visit he would hold discussions with the Chinese leadership on bilateral relations, particularly revitalisation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
The prime minister said in a tweet that the second phase of CPEC promised to usher the country in a new era of socio-economic progress that would uplift quality of the people’s lives.
“There is a lot to learn from Chinese economic miracle,” he said, stressing that his discussions with Chinese leadership would focus on revitalisation of CPEC among many other things.
On Monday, Shehbaz addressed the first steering committee meeting of the Pakistan-China Business and Investment Forum (PCBIF), saying that he looked forward to the “productive and fruitful meetings” with the Chinese leadership.
He stressed the relocation of the labour-intensive Chinese industry to Pakistan in view of the cheap local labour by establishing Special Economic Zones, calling it a win-win scenario for the business houses of both countries.
Additionally, Shehbaz met Chinese ambassador Nong and discussed diverse matters with him before the China visit, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.