ISLAMABAD: Islamabad and Beijing will discuss important trade and economic matters, and advance “high-quality development” of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) during Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang’s visit to the country next week, Pakistan’s foreign office said on Sunday. 
CPEC is a flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It involves the development of a massive transport, energy and infrastructure network in Pakistan to link its deep-sea ports to Chinese cities. China has funneled tens of billions of dollars into the project since its inception in 2013. 
The Chinese premier is scheduled to visit Pakistan with a high-level delegation from Oct. 14-17 during which he will hold talks with the Pakistani government on various issues of mutual interest between the two nations. 
“It will be an occasion for the two sides to reaffirm mutual support on issues of core interest; advance high-quality development of CPEC; and reinforce regular exchanges on important regional and global developments,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement. 
The statement said Li would be accompanied by ministers and senior officials from China’s ministries of foreign affairs and commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission and the China International Development Cooperation Agency.
“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Premier Li Qiang will lead their respective delegations to comprehensively discuss all aspects of Pakistan-China relations including economic and trade ties and cooperation under CPEC,” the foreign office said.
“The two sides will also discuss regional and global developments.”
The Chinese prime minister will meet Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and the country’s senior civil and military leadership. He will also attend the Meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization scheduled to be held in Islamabad from Oct. 15-16. 
While CPEC is a reflection of the cordial ties that both countries enjoy, the multi-billion-dollar project has been hit hard as Pakistan struggles to keep up its financial obligations, as well as attacks on Chinese targets by militants. 
The most recent incident involving an attack on Chinese citizens took place last Sunday when three people, including two Chinese nationals, were killed in a suicide blast near Karachi airport. The attack targeted Chinese staffers of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company. 
The attack was claimed by the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) group which targets Chinese interests in Pakistan. The BLA blames Pakistan’s government and China for exploiting the gas-and-mineral-rich Balochistan province, a charge the state vehemently denies.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan authorities were on Sunday preparing to shut down the capital ahead of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, overshadowed by recent militant violence and political unrest.
The Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Chinese Premier Li Qiang will be among senior regional government officials attending the two-day conference on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In the weeks leading up to the summit, Pakistan’s authorities have cracked down hard on dissent, banning an ethnic nationalist movement and introducing new laws that restrict protest in the capital.
They have also arrested hundreds of supporters of jailed opposition leader Imran Khan who attempted to march in Islamabad earlier this month.
A deadly attack on a convoy of Chinese engineers in the mega port city of Karachi last week has also deepened security fears in a country where separatist groups routinely target Chinese nationals.
Islamabad has authorized the deployment of troops on the streets for the duration of the summit.
Imtiaz Gul, a security analyst and executive director of the Center for Research and Security Studies, said the meeting holds great significance for a country that’s “not seen as safe.”
“The government claims to have made elaborate security arrangements and understandably so because it has to make sure that the event passes off peacefully without any untoward incident,” he told AFP.
The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus — with 16 more countries affiliated as observers or “dialogue partners.”
All visiting member nations are expected to send government heads apart from Pakistan’s arch-rival India, who will dispatch its foreign minister in a rare visit to its neighbor.
The SCO is sometimes touted as an alternative to the Western-dominated NATO military alliance.
As China’s claim over Taiwan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have seen them clash with the US and Europe, analysts say the SCO is one forum where they are trying to curry regional influence.
While the SCO has a mandate to discuss security, the Islamabad summit is due to focus on trade, humanitarian and cultural issues.
Pakistan’s domestic concerns are likely to dominate the sidelines of the summit, however.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has threatened to stage protests, a week after scattered demonstrations by supporters saw the capital locked down for three days with mobile phone signal cut and exit and entry points blocked.
“The PTI doesn’t want to showcase the positive side of Pakistan to the world,” accused Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary, minister for planning, during a press conference Saturday.
“Instead, they aim to present a picture of the country filled with tear gas and unrest.”
Authorities have declared a three-day public holiday for Islamabad and the neighboring city of Rawalpindi starting Monday, along with road closures to reduce movement around the area.
The “red zone” government quarter hosting the summit meanwhile has been spruced up with manicured lawns ringed by razor wire.
Cash-strapped Pakistan is particularly at pains to protect citizens from China because it is a major investor, sending funds and staff for million-dollar infrastructure projects.
Pakistan is grappling with a broad uptick in militancy coinciding with the Taliban’s 2021 return to power in neighboring Afghanistan, where Islamabad claims attackers are now taking shelter.