ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Thursday that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to China would include discussions on advancing joint ventures and speeding up progress on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as well as a solidarity appearance at the Beijing Olympic ceremony.
The foreign minister said in a statement released ahead of PM Imran’s visit, which will take place from February 3 to 5, that Pakistan and China have stood by each other in difficult times, and that the main purpose of the trip was to express solidarity with China as several countries boycotted the Beijing Olympics.
He also stated that, aside from the Olympics, discussions would take place in accordance with the special task force’s deliberations on increasing Pak-China trade volume and economic stability.
Qureshi also stated that the prime minister’s task team met numerous times, held sessions with stakeholders, and established a policy guideline for maximising trade potential between the two countries.
The premier will see his counterpart and the Chinese president during his visit to Beijing, he said, adding that economic diplomacy was at the heart of Pakistan’s foreign policy to promote the common man’s prosperity.
The foreign minister went on to say that investment and bilateral trade with other countries, particularly China, are necessary to attain this goal.
Qureshi said the 48th meeting of the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) Council of Foreign Ministers, which will be held on March 22-23, will also include a meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir to address the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
