All set: Chinese president to visit as per plan, says FO

President Xi’s security team arrives in Islamabad to finalise details

ISLAMABAD:

Keen to cement ties with a strategic ally, the foreign office on Wednesday confirmed that the forthcoming visit by China’s president would take place according to the schedule.

Dismissing reports that President Xi Jinping’s trip might be cancelled due to political unrest in the country, foreign ministry spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said “the visit is very much on.”

Tasnim said President Xi would visit sometime this month but did not reveal details of his itinerary.

Speculations were rife that the Chinese president, who is due to begin his visit to the subcontinent with Pakistan, followed by Sri Lanka and India later this month would chuck out Islamabad from the itinerary as the capital was grappling with anti-government demonstrations.

According sources privy with the schedule, Chinese president’s protocol and security teams had already arrived in Islamabad to finalise details ahead of his visit.

President Xi’s visit is seen as crucial for Pakistan during which a number of economic and defence deals are expected to be signed between the two countries.

Last month, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa cancelled his visit to Pakistan in the wake of the country’s political situation.

The cancellation of Rajapaksa’s visit was seen as a major blow to the government at a time when the country was deep in the throes of political turmoil and uncertainty.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 4^th, 2014.