Chinese Vice President arrives in Pak on three-day official visit

Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan arrived in Islamabad Sunday on a three-day official visit to Pakistan during which he will hold talks with President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan on a host of bilateral issues including the smooth development of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Wang, 70, is a member of the ruling Communist Party of China's (CPC) powerful Politburo Standing Committee. He is also a member of China's Parliament, National People's Congress and the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, a key foreign affairs body of the CPC.

He was received at the airport by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and other high officials.

During the visit, Vice President Wang will call on President Alvi and have a separate meeting with Prime Minister Khan.

Pakistan and China will sign MoUs and agreements and inaugurate projects to enhance bilateral cooperation in a broad range of areas, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Sunday.

His visit underscores the vitality of the time-tested and all-weather relationship between Pakistan and China. Wang's visit will reinforce the strength of bilateral ties and impart further impetus to the growing, multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries in diverse fields, it said.

The visit is in continuation of high-level exchanges between the two countries, which have acquired an increased momentum since Prime Minister Khan's visit to China in November last year and his participation in the 2nd Belt and Road Forum in Beijing in April this year.

Last week, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang in Beijing said that Vice President Wang's visit to Pakistan will further deepen high-level exchanges, friendship and mutual trust between the two countries.

He said the visit will also advance the development of China Pakistan Economic Corridor besides bilateral cooperation across the board.

Lu said China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and iron friends, and firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's foreign interests.

He said Pakistan has been a priority on China's diplomacy and now both the countries have witnessed a sound momentum in their cooperation and frequent high level exchanges.

Lu said both the countries are deepening the mutually beneficial cooperation and conducting close coordination in international and regional affairs.

The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan's Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of BRI.

After visiting Pakistan, the Chinese leader will also visit Germany and Netherlands.