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 4th, 2014.
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Now China will decide how to deal with this failed nation. The American's and the Brits are biting the dust, its the Chinese who are going to teach us how to bite the dust. Pakistani's will have to deliver or no funds will come. The Chinese are not soft as the Americans or the Brits, they are going thru life the hard way. Pakistani leadership will be the first to realize this. Pakistani leadership have to sell Pakistan for free, because that is what its worth is in the open market. Essentially a nation yet to come to terms with its own existence. We don't know why we are here and what exactly is our purpose in life, besides these never ending 'dharna's", war on terror, extremism, intolerance. What can the Chinese contribution be? when we are head long in self destruction mode, we cannot tolerate, non-Muslims, we cannot tolerate Americans, we cannot tolerate Indians, we cannot tolerate Iranians, we cannot tolerate our own history and therefore prefer blatant lies to the truth. The Chinese will find us quite a handful indeed.