Islamabad: Vice Premier of China He Lifeng begins a three-day visit to Pakistan on Sunday to attend the 10-year celebrations of a joint corridor project launched by the two countries, and meet top leaders in Islamabad.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a significant infrastructure development and regional connectivity project, was launched by the neighboring countries to build a major trade route between the Gwadar Port in southwestern Pakistan and China’s northwestern region of Xinjiang.
While the two sides agreed to work on the multibillion-dollar CPEC projects in April 2015, they became central to China’s Belt and Road Initiative in September 2013, when President Xi Jinping visited Kazakhstan.
The BRI aims to recreate the ancient Silk Route, though on a much larger level, to connect China with a number of countries in its immediate neighborhood, and extend to various areas in Europe and Africa.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Saturday: “At the invitation of the government of Pakistan, H.E. He Lifeng, vice premier of China and member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, will visit Pakistan from July 30 to Aug. 1, 2023.
Vice Premier of China He Lifeng begins a visit to Pakistan Sunday to attend the 10-year celebrations of a joint corridor project launched by the two countries. (File/AFP)
“During the visit, Vice Premier He will attend the 10th anniversary celebrations of CPEC and call on the president and the prime minister. He will also be the chief guest at an event celebrating the decade of CPEC.”
The ministry added that the Chinese vice premier had played a prominent role in the implementation of the BRI, of which the CPEC was a flagship project.
It added: “As the chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (2017-23), he was instrumental in the planning and execution of multiple CPEC projects in Pakistan.”
Coinciding with He’s visit, the administration in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad has announced the closure of all schools, colleges, universities, private firms, markets, and commercial banks on Monday and Tuesday.
The ministry added that the trip was part of regular high-level exchanges and dialogue between the two countries, which reflected the importance of China and its support of Islamabad’s core strategic interests.
China was also among the group of countries — including Saudi Arabia and the UAE — that rescued Pakistan’s economy by depositing significant amounts in its central bank while rolling over billions of dollars of loans.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the administration in Beijing for financially assisting Pakistan in a selfless manner during his recent visit to Gwadar.
