ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is set to host today a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) for talks to advance cooperation under their longstanding strategic partnership, the Pakistani foreign ministry said on Sunday, as the neighbors seek to deepen cooperation.

Liu Haixing, minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC), is undertaking his first official visit to Pakistan on an invitation from Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

China is Pakistan’s largest trading partner and a key strategic ally, with the two countries maintaining close cooperation in trade, defense, infrastructure and regional security.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said that Liu would meet Pakistani leaders and co-chair a high-level event with FM Dar on Monday.

“The visit forms part of the ongoing high-level and party-to-party exchanges between Pakistan and China, reflecting the two countries’ shared commitment to further strengthening their All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership,” the ministry said.

The IDCPC is an agency directly under the CPC Central Committee. It is responsible for managing party-to-party relations, conducting foreign exchanges with political parties and organizations around the world, and gathering political insights to support China’s foreign policy.

The visit comes days after Pakistan and China established an 18-outlet news exchange and a dedicated fact-checking mechanism under a newly launched information corridor, Pakistan’s information minister said.

Beyond media cooperation, the information corridor’s business component has opened its first regional office in Karachi, according to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar. The think-tank component, led by the Pakistan–China Institute, will bring Pakistani research institutions together with Chinese counterparts for joint discussions, research and publications.

China has also pledged over $65 billion in investment in road, infrastructure and development projects in Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), besides several Chinese private sector manufacturers undertaking joint ventures in Pakistan.