Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to arrive in China on Tuesday

At a time when Pakistan is going through ecomic turmoil, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit China for two days, beginning Tuesday. His visit assumes significance as Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to meet PM Modi at an informal summit near Chennai later next week. This will be Khan’s third official China visit since he assumed office in August 2018. He will hold detailed interactions on regional and bilateral issues when he meets Chinese President. Moreover, a media report in Pakistan claimed that he would have a separate meeting with PM of China, Li Keqiang.   

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Top priority- CPEC 

Launched in 2015, China Pakistan Ecomic Corridor (CPEC) is flagship project of China’s Belt and Ro Initiative (BRI). It was expected to bring in massive investment from China, creating thousands of job opportunities for people of Pakistan. When Nawaz Sharif was PM, several projects were close to completion. However, Khan’s regime has witnessed stalling of CPEC projects. This has been attributed to dire ecomic situation and n-cooperation of bureaucracy due to prevailing fear of National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Political instability has also hindered progress as NAB has arrested leing opposition leers in Pakistan. Chairing a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Pakistan PM reportedly said that timely completion of CPEC projects was a top priority for his government. 

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irritant in India-China ties

China has been repeatedly irking India with its actions like issuing a veto over UN listing of Masood Azhar, backing Pakistan on Kashmir issue and having CPEC route through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Especially, CPEC has become a major irritant in relationship between two countries. Khan is also going to discuss enhancing cooperation with China in agriculture, industrial and socio-ecomic sectors. Moreover, he is expected to mark his presence at China-Pakistan Business Forum in Beijing on October 8. 

(With PTI inputs)

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