ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has called for an easier visa regime with China to encourage greater people-to-people exchanges, as the two countries seek to deepen economic and strategic ties anchored by the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), state media reported on Wednesday.
China is Pakistan’s largest trading partner and biggest source of foreign investment through CPEC, a flagship project of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative that has financed roads, energy projects, ports and other infrastructure across Pakistan. While economic and security cooperation between the two countries has expanded steadily, both governments have increasingly sought to encourage tourism, business travel, educational exchanges and broader people-to-people contacts.
Pakistan last year introduced visa-free entry for Chinese business travelers in an effort to facilitate investment and commercial exchanges, while Beijing has continued to streamline visa application procedures for Pakistani citizens, although ordinary Pakistani passport holders still generally require visas to enter China.
The issue came up during a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and China’s Vice Minister of Public Security Ling Zhifeng on the sidelines of the United Nations headquarters.
“The Interior Minister said people-to-people contacts are vital for promoting bilateral relations and emphasized the need to facilitate the visa regime in this regard.”
The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening Pakistan-China strategic cooperation and agreed to expand collaboration on counterterrorism, internal security, border management, combating illegal immigration and counter-narcotics efforts.
Militant attacks on Chinese nationals are a critical security challenge for Pakistan, largely driven by ethnic separatists in Balochistan province where China is developing many mega projects including the deepsea port of Gwadar.
Over the past five years, these attacks, often targeting CPEC projects, have claimed at least 20 Chinese lives.
Naqvi said Pakistan was keen to deepen security cooperation with China and noted that the country had established a Special Protection Police Force to ensure the security of Chinese nationals working in Pakistan.
