PM Kakar reaches Beijing for participation in Belt and Road Forum

BEIJING: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Monday touched down in Beijing to attend the Third Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation.

At the airport, Chinese Minister of Science & Technology Wang Zhigang, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong, and Ambassador of Pakistan to China Moin-ul-Haq warmly received the interim premier in a red carpet welcome upon his arrival, the PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

The prime minister is undertaking the visit at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. He is accompanied by a high-level delegation including members of the cabinet and senior government officials.

He will attend the opening ceremony of the BRF and address the high-level forum titled "Connectivity in an Open Global Economy" to be held on October 18.

The caretaker prime minister will hold bilateral meetings with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and Li Xi, a member of the Standing Committee of Politburo of CPC Central Committee.

The leaders will discuss all the facets of bilateral relations, with a particular focus on strengthening trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. They will exchange views on major regional and global developments.

The prime minister will also meet other leaders of the countries participating in the BRF.

He will also meet with leading Chinese entrepreneurs and preside over an interactive roundtable on the China and Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to explore new avenues for strengthening trade and investment ties between Pakistan and China.

To further strengthen regional connectivity, trade, investment, and people-to-people contacts between the neighbouring regions of Pakistan and China, Prime Minister Kakar will pay a two-day visit to Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China.

In Urumqi, he will meet the local leadership and business persons, and deliver a speech at Xinjiang University.

“The visit of the prime minister comes in the backdrop of ongoing celebrations marking the 10 years of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI),” the news release said.