PM Kakar arrives in Beijing to attend Belt and Road forum

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar arrived in Beijing to participate in the “Third Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation” on Monday.

At the airport, the premier was warmly received by Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong and Ambassador of Pakistan to China Moinul Haq, the PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

The prime minister is undertaking the visit at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. He is accompanied by a high-level delegation including members of the cabinet and senior government officials.

He will attend the opening ceremony of the BRF and address the high-level forum titled “Connectivity in an Open Global Economy” to be held on October 18.

The caretaker prime minister will hold bilateral meetings with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and Li Xi, member of the Standing Committee of Politburo of CPC Central Committee.

The leaders will discuss all facets of bilateral relations, with particular focus on strengthening trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. They will also exchange views on major regional and global developments.

The prime minister will also meet other leaders of the countries participating in the BRF. He will meet with leading Chinese entrepreneurs and preside over an interactive roundtable on CPEC to explore new avenues for strengthening trade and investment ties between Pakistan and China.

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To further strengthen regional connectivity, trade, investment and people-to-people contacts between the neighbouring regions of Pakistan and China, PM Kakar will pay a two-day visit to Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China.

In Urumqi, he will meet the local leadership and business persons, and deliver a speech at Xinjiang University.

The prime minister's visit comes in the backdrop of ongoing celebrations marking the 10 years of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).