PM Kakar to participate in third Belt and Road Forum in China

Gwadar Pro

Islamabad: Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar is scheduled for an official visit to China, commencing on the 16th of this month, Pakistani officials said.

Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, Minister for Planning Sami Saeed, and Foreign Secretary Dr Muhammad Syrus Qazi will also accompany the Prime Minister on his visit to Beijing.

PM Kakar will be a special guest at the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF), an event hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

According to the official schedule, his stay in Beijing will extend until October 18. During his maiden visit to China, Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar is set to engage in a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

This also marks his inaugural one-on-one interaction with a top leader from the P-5 nations, since he assumed office in August of this year.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry had previously announced that the 2023 BRF would commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This event will encompass discussions on various aspects of the initiative. Notably, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) stands as a flagship project within this expansive plan, originally conceived by President Xi. The agreement for this project was signed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on April 20, 2015, in Beijing, alongside Chinese President Xi.

Representatives from 90 countries have confirmed their attendance at the BRI Forum. Several esteemed world leaders have accepted invitations to participate in the forum, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, and Argentine President Alberto Fernandez.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry highlighted that cooperation agreements under the Belt and Road Initiative have been signed with over 150 countries and more than 30 international organizations.

A spokesperson for China emphasized that over the past decade, Belt and Road cooperation has yielded substantial results, with the establishment of over 3,000 cooperation projects and the mobilization of nearly US $1 trillion in investments.

Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani recently held a sideline meeting with his Chinese counterpart during a regional conference held in the Chinese autonomous region of Tibet.

Their discussions centered around the CPEC, and both dignitaries expressed satisfaction with the future planning of the project, which is into its second phase.