SCO, other matters on agenda as Chinese PM to reach Pakistan today

ISLAMABAD: Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit Pakistan for four days, starting October 14 (today).

During his stay here, Qiang will attend conference of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and discuss a range of topics of mutual interest with Pakistan on its sidelines.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Sunday said the Chinese dignitary was visiting Islamabad from October 14-17 at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The Foreign Office said PM Li would be accompanied by ministers and senior officials including those from the ministries of foreign affairs and commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission and the China International Development Cooperation Agency.

"PM Shehbaz and Premier Li will lead their respective delegations to comprehensively discuss all aspects of Pakistan-China relations including economic and trade ties and cooperation under the China Pakistan Economic Cooperation (CPEC). The two sides will also discuss regional and global developments," the statement read.

The Chinese premier will call on President Asif Ali Zardari and hold meetings with parliamentary leaders and senior military leadership of Pakistan. He will also attend the SCO meeting in Islamabad.

The FO said that Li's visit to Islamabad is an expression of the importance attached by Pakistan and China to their "all-weather strategic cooperative partnership".

"It will be an occasion for the two sides to reaffirm mutual support on issues of core interest; advance high-quality development of CPEC; and reinforce regular exchanges on important regional and global developments," it stated.

Islamabad is set to host the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting with major foreign leaders on October 15 and 16.

According to Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, PM Shehbaz will preside over the CHG meeting as the current chair.

Besides the Chinese premier, PMs of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as the first vice president of Iran and external affairs minister of India will visit Pakistan to represent their respective SCO member states.

Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar on Sunday said the Chinese prime minister's visit and the SCO summit would prove to be a game changer for Pakistan.

He said that good progress was being made in the multi-billion-dollar project’s second phase.

The minister added that Islamabad had been decorated for the SCO, which would promote economic and regional ties.

“Bilateral meetings of heads of state will be held on the sidelines of the SCO summit,” Tarar said.

PM Shehbaz offers condolence over death of China's ex-vice PM

Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz on Sunday expressed his deep grief over the death of Wu Bangguo, former Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and former Vice Premier of China.

Remembering him as an "outstanding" leader and a "true friend of Pakistan", he said the late Bangguo made a profound contribution to strengthening bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and China.

Bangguo in Beijing on October 8 at the age of 83.

"His visit to Pakistan in 2006 remains a significant milestone. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the people of China in this difficult moment," Prime Minister Shehbaz wrote on his X account.

Born in 1941, Bangguo had served as a member of the Political Bureau and a member of the Secretariat of the 14th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, a member of the Political Bureau of the 15th CPC Central Committee, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 16th and 17th central committees of the CPC, vice premier of the State Council, and chairman of the Standing Committee of the 10th and 11th NPCs.