Islamabad security put on high alert ahead of Chinese vice premier visit

ISLAMABAD: Police in Islamabad have been put on high alert as Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng is all set to arrive in Pakistan today on a three-day visit, ARY News reported on Sunday.

According to the Capital police spokesperson, 50 additional cameras have been installed on the route leading to airport from red zone.

Moreover, all the security measures will be monitored from the CCTV cameras.

Chinese premier due in Pakistan today

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will arrive in Pakistan today on a three-day visit to attend a ceremony planned to mark 10 years of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

A statement issued by the FO said that the Chinese vice premier will be in Pakistan from July 30 (today) to August 1 (Tuesday) at the federal government’s invitation to attend a ceremony celebrating a decade of CPEC as the chief guest.

The Chinese vice premier will also meet with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Arif Alvi during the visit, according to the FO.

Lifeng has played a prominent role in China’s international economic relations and implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, of which CPEC is a flagship project, the FO said.

As the chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (2017-23), he was instrumental in the planning and execution of multiple CPEC projects in Pakistan, as per the FO.

“The visit is part of regular high-level exchanges and dialogue between Pakistan and China. It reflects the importance attached by Pakistan and China to further deepen their “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership”; reaffirm support on issues of each other’s core interests; enhance economic and financial cooperation; advance high-quality development of CPEC; and explore new avenues for strengthening trade and investment ties between the two countries,” the spokesperson further added.