ISLAMABAD : Pakistan’s army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa began a three-day visit to China on Sunday, Pakistan’s military said, days after a Pakistani minister stirred unease about Chinese Silk Road projects in the South Asian nation.
Bajwa is the most senior Pakistani figure to visit staunch ally China since the new government of Prime Minister Imran Khan took office in August, and his trip comes a week after China’s top diplomat visited Islamabad.
Pakistan has deepened ties with China in recent years as relations with the United States have frayed.
Bajwa may be hoping in Beijing to smooth out any Chinese alarm at comments last week by Pakistan’s commerce minister, Abdul Razak Dawood, who suggested suspending for a year projects in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Pakistan leg of China’s Belt and Road Initiative that includes recreating the old Silk Road trading route.
“During the visit, COAS will interact with various Chinese leaders including his counterpart,” Major General Asif Ghafoor, the military spokesman, tweeted late on Sunday.
Beijing has pledged to invest about $60 billion in Pakistan for infrastructure for the Belt and Road project.
Dawood, in an interview with the Financial Times, also suggested the CPEC contracts had been unfairly negotiated by the previous government and were too favorable to the Chinese. Later he said the comments were taken out of context, but did not dispute their veracity.
The critical comments were published just after China’s top diplomat, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, visited Pakistan and the two sides reaffirmed the mutual benefits of the Beijing-funded projects.
On Thursday, Pakistan’s government said it wanted CPEC to include more projects with a focus on socio-economic development, something which would align more with the populist agenda of Khan’s new administration.
Pakistan’s army chief visits Beijing after ‘Silk Road’ tension
Pakistan’s army chief visits Beijing after ‘Silk Road’ tension
- “During the visit, COAS will interact with various Chinese leaders including his counterpart,” Major General Asif Ghafoor, the military spokesman, tweeted late on Sunday
- Beijing has pledged to invest about $60 billion in Pakistan for infrastructure for the Belt and Road project
Pakistan, Algeria discuss investment cooperation in energy, mining, digital sectors
- MoU planned between Algerian investment agency and Pakistan’s SIFC
- Talks also cover digital governance and smart agriculture collaboration
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Algeria have agreed to pursue closer investment cooperation in energy, mining and digital development, Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) said on Friday, as Islamabad steps up efforts to attract foreign capital and expand international collaborations.
The SIFC is a hybrid civil-military body formed in 2023 to fast-track decisions related to international investment in sectors including tourism, livestock, agriculture and mines and minerals. It has been central to Pakistan’s efforts to attract foreign investment and streamline regulatory approvals amid recurring balance-of-payments pressures.
Federal Secretary SIFC Jamil Qureshi said in a social media post that he met Algeria’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Dr. Brahim Romani, and discussed signing a memorandum of understanding to strengthen institutional collaboration between the Algerian Investment Promotion Agency and the SIFC.
“Both countries share strong potential to expand cooperation in strategic sectors such as energy, mining, digital transformation, and industrial development,” he said.
“Algeria’s experience in leveraging natural resources through institutions like Sonatrach, developing large-scale mining projects, and promoting industrial localization through partnerships with global firms such as Stellantis offers valuable lessons for Pakistan as we advance priority initiatives including Reko Diq, renewable energy expansion, and EV manufacturing,” he continued.
Qureshi said the two sides also explored collaboration in digital governance and smart agriculture, similar to Algeria’s satellite-driven agricultural and climate monitoring initiatives.
Islamabad has in recent months intensified outreach to Middle Eastern, Central Asian and African partners as it seeks long-term investment rather than short-term financial support.
Pakistan’s economy has stabilized under an International Monetary Fund program, with the government actively seeking foreign investment and collaborations to boost growth, improve exports and ease pressure on foreign exchange reserves.
“We look forward to translating this shared vision into concrete projects that generate jobs, enhance exports, and strengthen Pakistan–Algeria economic partnership,” Qureshi added.
Qureshi did not provide a timeline for signing the proposed memorandum of understanding.
