PM Khan preparing for first visit to China

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday presided over a high-level meeting to discuss his upcoming visit to China and review the projects falling under the umbrella of multi-billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. 

Foreign affairs minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, finance minister Asad Umar, information minister Fawad Chaudhry, development and planning minister Khusro Bukhtiar, and Pakistan Railways minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed attended the meeting at PM Office.

The prime minister said Pakistan’s ties with “all weather friend” China are cornerstone of the country’s foreign policy and vowed to further expand ties between the two countries in the days to come.

The prime minister is likely to undertake his first visit to Beijing this month.

This will be the second foreign trip of Imran Khan since he assumed the office of prime minister.

Last month, the prime minister embarked on a first visit to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

It is pertinent to mention here that the prime minister in his visit to Balochistan had said that his government was reviewing the projects under the CPEC with a view to addressing the reservations of the province.

He said the progress of Pakistan was linked to the development of Balochistan. The federal government would extend every possible cooperation to Balochistan in the financial crisis being faced by it, he added.

“The federal government in collaboration with Balochistan authorities will end backwardness in the province,” he said.