This is Khan’s third visit to China since he came to power in August 2018.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (Photo: IANS),
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Beijing on Tuesday on his third official visit to China where he will discuss issues of regional and bilateral importance with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his counterpart Li Keqiang.
Khan’s visit to China, third since he took office as Prime Minister in August last year, acquires significance as it comes days ahead of President Xi’s planned high-profile visit to India to take part in the 2nd informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Mamallapuram near Chennai next week.
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Khan is accompanied by a high-level delegation including Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Khusro Bakhtiar, Board of Investment (BoI) Chairman Zubair Gilani and other senior officials.
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Xi and Li will separately host banquets in honour of the Pakistani Prime Minister.
PM Imran Khan is due to arrive in Beijing even though there has been no official announcement yet on his or Xi’s visit to India. China is currently observing a week-long shutdown beginning on October 1 as part of the national day holidays to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. (PRC).
It was learnt that the two sides will also discuss the “immediate implementation” of the second phase of the China-Pakistan free trade agreement (FTA).
Khan was also expected to address the China Pakistan Business Forum in Beijing and to meet Chinese entrepreneurs as well as the heads of different companies.
The Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who had reached China a few hours before the premier, will join Khan during his meetings with Premier Li and President Xi, The News International reported.
This is Khan’s third visit to China since he came to power in August 2018.
In April, he visited Beijing to attend the second Belt and Road Forum and for talks with the Chinese leadership on the expanded CPEC.
His first official visit was in November 2018.
(With agency inputs)
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