Ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan's first visit to China, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday said the relations between the two nations is a "model of state-to-state ties" and the CPEC projects have given an important socio-economic development dimension to their friendship.
Khan, accompanied by Qureshi, will lead a delegation from November 2-5 to China for talks with President Xi Jinping amid anxieties in Beijing over his government's approach to deal with the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) following reports about Islamabad downsizing certain projects.
Khan's trip to Beijing comes ahead of a visit to Islamabad by International Monetary Fund officials on November 7 for formal discussions on a bailout package for the cash-strapped country.
Qureshi chaired a preparatory meeting for Khan's visit via video conference with the Ambassador of Pakistan in Beijing, Masood Khalid.
"The two countries are close friends, good neighbours and development partners. The bilateral relationship has withstood the test of times. Regardless of domestic or international changes, this close friendship has served as a model of state-to-state relations for other countries," he said.
Highlighting that Pakistan and China are "all-weather strategic cooperative partners", the foreign minister said the bilateral ties have been further strengthened, particularly in the economic field, by the launch of the CPEC.
Underscoring that the ambitious infrastructure project has added another important socio-economic development dimension to the bilateral relationship, Qureshi said, "The leadership of both countries has expressed strong desire and commitment to the successful implementation of the CPEC."
Qureshi said, "Pakistan considers the CPEC as an engine for growth; a catalyst for economic development, and a platform for socio-economic uplift of the people of Pakistan."
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