ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday departed for China to attend the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of State Summit in Tianjin.
The premier will also join President Xi Jinping in Beijing for the 80th anniversary of the World’s Anti-Fascist War and attend a military parade alongside global leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian PM Narendra Modi.
During the visit, Shehbaz will hold meetings with President Xi, Premier Li Qiang, and other heads of state to discuss regional cooperation, multilateralism, and shared goals of peace and prosperity. He is also scheduled to address the Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference and meet Chinese business leaders to boost trade and investment ties.
Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, and Adviser Tariq Fatemi are accompanying the prime minister.
According to the Foreign Office, the visit aims to deepen the Pakistan-China “All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership” and advance the second phase of CPEC.
This year’s SCO summit, themed “Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move”, will be the largest since the bloc’s founding in 2001, focusing on regional security, trade, energy, and connectivity.
