PM Imran set to visit China on Thursday

Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit China on February 3 (Thursday) to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games at the special invitation of the Chinese leadership.

"The Prime Minister will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including members of the Cabinet and senior government officials," Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement on Wednesday.

During the visit, the PM will hold bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations, with a particular focus on stronger trade and economic cooperation including CPEC.

They will also have wide-ranging exchange of views on major regional and international issues, FO said.

While in Beijing, the PM would also meet prominent business leaders of China and representatives of leading Chinese think-tanks, academia and the media. He will also have other bilateral interactions on the sidelines.

Hosting Winter Olympic Games big feat: PM

"The Prime Minister’s visit would 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 and the unfolding international situation.

"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. A number of MoUs and Agreements would be concluded during the visit."

PM’s upcoming China visit: Chinese investors want high-level parleys

Earlier, Business Recorder reported that Chinese investors in Pakistan’s energy sector, who are facing bottlenecks, have urged Islamabad to resolve issues of existing project sponsors to attract more investment in the country.

Chinese investors, who have been visiting different ministries/ organisation for years for resolution of their procedural issues, conveyed this message to the Government of Pakistan, through Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar, Secretary Power Division and Chairman Board of Investment (BoI) days before the official visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China.

“To give positive signal for attracting future private sector investments in Pakistan, nothing will convey Pakistan’s desire more strongly than to support project sponsors who are on ground and have already invested substantial funds,” said Wu Zefeng, the Project Director of Ashkot HPP, in his letter.