PM Kakar to visit China next week

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar is set to embark on a two-day official visit to China next week.

Speaking during her weekly briefing to the media, the Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch disclosed that the premier’s visit to China is in response to a request from the Chinese President to attend the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

During his visit, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar will engage with world leaders on the sidelines of the BRI forum.

China is scheduled to host the 3rd summit on international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on October 17-18 in Beijing.

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More than 50 leaders from Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Latin America, including President Vladimir Putin, are anticipated to attend the summit, following China’s invitations.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), initiated by China a decade ago, aims to create global infrastructure and energy networks connecting Asia with Africa and Europe through both land and maritime routes.

According to the foreign ministry, China has signed Belt and Road cooperation agreements with over 150 countries and more than 30 international organizations.

The inaugural Belt and Road Forum took place in Beijing in May 2017, gathering high-ranking officials from Russia, China, and 28 countries spanning Eurasia, Africa, and Latin America.

The second forum convened in the Chinese capital in April 2019, with Chinese President Xi Jinping introducing the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013.