ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has arrived in Chengdu where he would meet leaders of China’s Sichuan province, Pakistani state media reported on Friday, with the high-level visit aimed at boosting China-Pakistan ties.
The visit comes on the heels of an official trip to China by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last week, where Islamabad signed investment agreements and joint ventures worth $8.5 billion with Beijing.
President Zardari will be visiting Chengdu and Shanghai cities, and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from till Sept. 21 where he will meet Chinese provincial leaders, according to the Pakistani foreign office.
Upon arrival at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, he was warmly received by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Vice Governor of Sichuan Province Huang Ruixue, the Radion Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“The President will hold meetings with the Chinese leadership and senior officials to further strengthen Pakistan-China relations, enhance cooperation in diverse fields, and advance shared objectives under the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership,” it said.
Pakistan views China as an important investment partner and strategic ally, which has funneled billions of dollars into the country under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) energy and infrastructure project for over a decade.
Beijing is Pakistan’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade topping $25 billion in recent years, while Chinese firms have also invested heavily in Pakistan’s power, transport, infrastructure and telecoms projects.
“The discussions will encompass Pakistan-China bilateral relations, with a particular focus on economic and trade cooperation, CPEC and future connectivity initiatives,” the Pakistani foreign office earlier said.
