According to the news agency, Associated Press of Pakistan, President Xi Jinping’s special envoy arrived in Islamabad on Sunday for a two-day visit, during which he will hold talks with President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The official was received at the airport by Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of Planning, and Rana Sanaullah, Minister of the Interior.
Pakistani Foreign Ministry sources highlighted He Lifeng’s role in China’s international economic relations and the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, of which CPEC is a flagship project, they said.
The visit by the Chinese Deputy Premier is part of regular high-level bilateral exchanges and dialogues which reflects the importance attached by Pakistan and China in strengthening their Strategic Cooperative Partnership, the diplomatic sources said.
It also aims to reaffirm mutual support on issues of central interest, improve economic and financial cooperation, advance the high-quality development of CPEC, and explore new ways to strengthen trade and investment ties between the two countries, they stated.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a mega-project announced in April 2015 which seeks to connect the Pakistani port of Gwadar with the autonomous region of Xinjiang through a network of highways, railways, and oil pipelines.
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