Pak PM Sharif says he has ‘serious plans’ to deepen all weather bonds as he makes first visit to China
Beijing/Islamabad: On his first visit to China after assuming office, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Tuesday said he is visiting Beijing with “serious plans” to deepen the all-weather ties amid China’s concerns over deadly terror attacks on its nationals in Pakistan and deepening political and economic crisis undermining its stability.
“Landed in Shenzhen on the first leg of my official visit to China at the invitation of the Chinese leadership,” Sharif posted on X as he arrived in the southern Chinese city as part of his five-day official visit to China.
Sharif wrote that he was looking forward to my engagements with the provincial authorities, the business community and industry giants here before proceeding to Beijing for official
talks with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and other Chinese leaders and senior officials.
“We are coming with serious plans to make our friendship become much higher than the Himalayas and deeper than the deepest ocean
of the world,” Sharif said as he left for China to further bolster bilateral ties and to launch the second phase of the multi-billion dollar CPEC projects in his country.
Sharif will be in China from June 4 to 8 at the invitation of President Xi.
His visit also coincides with the end of the general elections in India, which both view as a strategic rival and the advent of the new government in New Delhi.
The 72-year-old leader embarked on his first visit to China after he took over as prime minister for the second term after his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party-led coalition government assumed power in March. He is due to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday and
is set to hold talks with President Xi to seek more investments and aid to shore up Pakistan’s deteriorating economic situation.
Pakistan considers China as one of the most trusted friends around the globe, Sharif told Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency in an interview stating that besides being iron brothers, unshakable friendship, “our hearts beat together”.
Ahead of his visit, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that during the trip both Xi and Sharif will “jointly draw a blueprint”, without providing any details.
