Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is in China for a several-day visit for a series of meetings with as-yet-unnamed political and other representatives. His visit began on Saturday, May 23 and will extend until Tuesday, May 26, reported the South China Morning Post. The visit coincided with the 75th anniversary of China-Pakistan relations.
China’s foreign ministry confirmed that China and Pakistan ‘are all-weather strategic cooperative partners,’ and the Pakistani foreign ministry stated, “‘The visit is expected to further deepen political trust, strengthen strategic coordination, expand practical cooperation and consolidate the long-standing friendship between Pakistan and China.’”
China has supported Pakistan’s efforts for peaceful negotiations to resolve its current disputes with Afghanistan, but has been hesitant to become directly involved with the negotiations with Iran.
“Arhama Siddiqa, a research fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, said the visit carried ‘added strategic weight’ compared with routine high-level exchanges about issues such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, investment and economic cooperation.
“She said the visit could advance ‘a broader consultative mechanism on the Gulf, Middle East, energy security, maritime routes and connectivity’, building on a five-point peace initiative put forward by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar.”
On Sunday, Sharif is scheduled to attend a China-Pakistan IT and telecom business-to-business investment conference, and will also visit the eastern province of Zhejiang at some point during his visit. This province is located south of Shanghai on the East China sea, and is one of China’s wealthiest and historically significant provinces; it is a global economic and export hub, and also holds deep cultural roots for China.