Pakistan, China to sign several agreements during PM Khan’s visit – Foreign Office

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan will travel to China on Thursday, along with a high-level delegation to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games, where he will also hold talks with China’s President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang.
Pakistan’s premier is expected to sign bilateral accords during his visit to China, stated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The 2022 Winter Olympics is set to take place from Feb. 4 to Feb. 20 in the Chinese capital Beijing and venues near the neighboring towns of Yanqing and Chongli. It will be the second Olympics to take place under strict COVID-19 rules, as the pandemic enters its third year.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement on Wednesday, said that as a global event, the Olympic Games foster mutual understanding, inclusivity and friendship among the peoples of the world.
“Beijing will soon become the first city to host both summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games. It is highly admirable that the Chinese government has made meticulous arrangements for holding the Winter Olympic Games despite the COVID-19 pandemic,” the statement read.
In the bilateral meeting, the leaders of the two countries “will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations, with a particular focus on stronger trade and economic cooperation including CPEC [China Pakistan Economic Corridor],” the statement said, adding that “they will also have wide-ranging exchange of views on major regional and international issues.”
“A number of MoUs [Memorandum of Understandings] and Agreements would be concluded during the visit,” the statement read.
CPEC is a central part of the Belt and Road Initiative, under which Beijing has pledged over $60 billion for infrastructure projects in Pakistan, much of it in the form of loans. The plan is part of China’s aim to forge “Silk Road” land and sea ties to markets in the Middle East and Europe.
PM Khan would also mark the culmination of celebrations commemorating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China, with more than 140 events organized to showcase the resilience of the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It would thus renew the bilateral commitment to taking the iron-clad partnership between Pakistan and China to new heights and add impetus to cooperation across multiple domains,” the statement said.
Last week, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said PM Khan will attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics 2022 in a show of ‘solidarity’ with China.
Some 2,900 athletes from over 90 countries are expected to attend the Winter Games in China. Alpine skier Mohammad Karim will be Pakistan’s only athlete to compete following the withdrawal of fellow alpine skier Mia Nuriah Freudweiler due to injury.
Amid geopolitical tensions, the US, UK, Canada and Australia announced a diplomatic boycott of the event over China’s human rights record. Their athletes will still participate in the games, but no government official will be present.

Pakistan, China to sign several agreements during PM Khan’s visit – Foreign Office