Pak President to visit China to attend SCO summit

Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain will visit China on Saturday to attend the SCO summit on the sidelines of which he will meet his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping to discuss bilateral matters, including the progress of the CPEC projects.

The 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, scheduled for June 9 and 10 in Qingdao, Shandong province, will be attended by a host of world leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said that President Mamnoon will visit China on June 9 to attend the summit.

During his meeting with Xi, all issues of mutual concern including bilateral, regional and international issues will be discussed, he said.

"Bilateral political matters, progress of the CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) projects, economic and commercial relations, defence relations and other areas of bilateral relations will also be discussed, he said.

India has protested to China over the CPEC, the USD 50 billion flagship project of Xi's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as it is being built through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Mamnoon will also have several bilateral meeting with other Heads of State attending the Summit.

Faisal also said that no meeting was planned between Pakistani and Indian leaders on the sidelines of the SCO.