Pakistan PM Sharif meets Chinese President Xi; both agree to strengthen all-weather ties, CPEC

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to strengthen multilateral cooperation in diverse areas, including CPEC and strategic partnership

On his maiden visit to Beijing, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during which the two leaders agreed to strengthen the all-weather friendship and the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Mr. Sharif arrived in Beijing on Tuesday night on a two-day visit. This is Mr. Sharif’s first visit to China since assuming office in April this year. However, this is Sharif’s second meeting with Xi after becoming the prime minister. Mr. Sharif met Xi last month on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit at Samarkand in Uzbekistan.

In his Samarkand meeting with Mr. Shehbaz, Mr. Xi had called for providing solid protection for hundreds of Chinese working on the CPEC projects.

Mr. Shehbaz and Mr. Xi on Tuesday met at the People’s Great Hall of China and discussed broad-based cooperation in economy and investment besides exchanging views on regional and global developments, Pakistan’s state-run APP news agency reported on Wednesday.

The two leaders agreed to strengthen multilateral cooperation in diverse areas, including CPEC and strategic partnership, it said.

Both Mr. Shehbaz and Mr. Xi have expressed the desire to further promote the All-Weather Strategic Cooperation Partnership between their countries, the report said.

Mr. Shehbaz was the first head of state to felicitate the Chinese leader who was recently re-elected as General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) for an unprecedented third term, perhaps for life, a privilege accorded only to party founder Mao Zedong.