Imran’s China visit significant ahead of Xi traveling to India

BEIJING: Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit China on Monday that is highly significant as it is taking place ahead of President Xi Jinping's scheduled visit to India.

Khan's visit was being given high importance by both the governments in the context of their growing strategic partnership.

The focus of the visit will be on deepening socio-economic partnership under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

According to South China Morning Post, Khan is scheduled to deliver a speech at the China-Pakistan business forum in the Chinese capital on October 8 to promote “economic and trade exchange and cooperation” between the two countries.

It is not known what other events will be on the Pakistani leader’s agenda, but Imran Khan is scheduled to meet Xi to discuss wide range of topics, particularly the crisis in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir territory.

Major topic of the agenda will be CPEC, a series of infrastructure and development projects, as well as reviewing progress on establishing special economic zones in Pakistan, analysts say.

Khan spoke fierily at the United Nations last week about Jammu and Kashmir, which has been under security lockdown for nearly two months since New Delhi repealed the special status for the Indian-administered part of the region.

According to analysts, quoted by the Hong Kong’s Daily, Khan was seeking to gain international diplomatic support over Kashmir, after previously urging his Chinese counterparts to pressure Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to change course.

“Nevertheless, since India and China have also moved very cautiously and rationally in the context of the Doklam stand-off, so it would be unrealistic to expect the Chinese president to press upon Kashmir, beyond diplomatic emphasis.”

After Khan’s visit, Xi is expected to head to India to meet Modi between October 11 and 13, according to Indian media reports, and then to Nepal.

Geeta Kochhar, an assistant professor of Chinese studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said that despite Pakistan’s efforts to raise the Kashmir issue, Xi’s summit with Modi in India would focus on trade and investment ties between China and India rather than Kashmir.