ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in China’s tropical resort city of Sanya on Tuesday to hold talks with the Chinese leadership over a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure project between the two nations and attend the commissioning of a submarine in the Pakistan Navy, his office said.
China is a major ally and investor in Pakistan and has pledged over $65 billion in investment in road, infrastructure and development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), part of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Zardari arrived in China on Saturday for a five-day visit to the country. He first visited Changsha in Hunan from Apr. 25–27, before arriving in Sanya in the Hainan province. Here, the Pakistani president is expected to stay till May 1, the foreign office said in a statement.
“President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in Sanya after completing his visit to Hunan,” the office of the president wrote on X.
“He will discuss cooperation & CPEC with leadership and attend the commissioning of submarine Hangor.”
Pakistan’s government had signed an agreement with China for the acquisition of eight Hangor-class submarines, under which four submarines are being built in China, while the remaining four will be constructed in Pakistan by Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works Ltd.
Islamabad has long been Beijing’s top arms customer, and over the 2020-2024 period bought over 60 percent of China’s weapons exports, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Zardari’s visit to China comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to boost trade and investment cooperation with China, Gulf nations and Central Asian states.
Islamabad has attempted to strengthen its economy, with the help of a $7 billion International Monetary Fund program, in recent years.
