PM Kakar to meet President Xi during China visit next week

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar is set to visit China to participate in the ‘Third Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation,’ being held in Beijing from October 17 to 18.

“The prime minister will attend the opening ceremony of the BRF and address the high-level forum entitled ‘Connectivity in an Open Global Economy,” the Prime Minister Office said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, Saturday.

PM Kakar will hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the occasion. The senior Chinese officials, business leaders and investors as well as a number of leaders will also attend the Forum.

Speaking about the PM’s visit earlier today (Sunday), caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jillani said Kakar would discuss joint ventures with the Chinese companies and a number of memorandum of understanding (MoUs) regarding agriculture, health, industrial, green energy and space technology cooperation would be signed during the upcoming visit.

The foreign minister further said that the visit would enhance the ongoing strong bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and China as "Iron Brothers" and would help strengthen the bilateral ties.

“The visit will also provide an opportunity to review the entire gamut of entire cooperation and Pak-China strategic cooperation. The visit also marks the ten years of CPEC and Belt and Road Initiative,” he added.

The foreign minister further informed that the caretaker prime minister would also visit the Xingjian region bordering Pakistan and eight other countries of the region.

He termed the CPEC as an economic success story for both sides and a model of excellent economic cooperation despite external dimensions to certain security challenges.

The FM said both countries coordinated to blunt the terrorist activities and the both sides had expressed satisfaction over the ongoing bilateral cooperation. The first phase of CPEC has been completed and now we are entering into the second phase which related to industrial, technological and agricultural cooperation, he added.

China will hold its third Belt and Road forum in its capital from October 17 to 18, Beijing said Wednesday, with a number of foreign leaders expected to attend the event.

"Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the forum and deliver a keynote speech, and hold a welcome banquet for foreign leaders and heads of international organisations attending the forum," foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will attend next week's event, for which China only confirmed the dates and duration on Wednesday.

The event will see China celebrate the 10-year anniversary of its vast Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, which Beijing said in a white paper on Tuesday had generated over two trillion dollars in contracts around the world — equivalent in size to some of the world's biggest economies.