Official visit: PM Nawaz to leave for China tomorrow

FO spokesperson says a number of MoUs will be signed by the two sides during the visit

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will leave for Beijing on an official on Friday (tomorrow), Radio Pakistan reported.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasneem Aslam in her weekly briefing on Thursday said that during the premier’s visit, a number of agreements and MoUs will be signed by the two countries.

“Most of the agreements will be in the field of energy,” Aslam added.

“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will also hold bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang during his stay in China,” she said.

The spokesperson dispelled the notion that the Prime Minister's visit to Beijing is to substitute President Xi Jinping's visit to Islamabad and urged that the Chinese president will visit Pakistan.

Earlier, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Jianchao, while commenting on the agenda of Prime Minister Nawaz’s visit, also said the two countries will sign important agreements to further enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields.

According to officials, the two countries are expected to sign agreements worth $34 billion during the visit.

Jianchao affirmed that the Chinese president Xi will visit Pakistan on agreed dates after postponing his trip in September reportedly due to security concerns.

PM Nawaz is visiting China on the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Informal Leaders’ meeting in Beijing.

The invite was delivered by Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong who called on the prime minister on October 17.