PM Shehbaz Sharif to 'undertake' official visit to China from May 23

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official visit to China from May 23-26, ARY News reported on Thursday, quoting sources familiar with the development. 

Sources citing officials said a Business-to-Business (B2B) conference will be inaugurated in the context of marking 75 years of Pakistan–China relations.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar is also expected to accompany the prime minister, along with Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain, and Adviser Haroon Akhtar, sources added.

During the visit, the prime minister will attend a B2B conference in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, where more than 80 business leaders are expected to participate.

Shehbaz Sharif is also expected to meet the head of the globally renowned e-commerce company Alibaba in Hangzhou, sources said.

Several agreements are likely to be signed during the business forum.

Pakistan, China ‘set to ink’ over $5 billion worth of agreements during PM Shehbaz’s visit

The agreements are likely to cover a wide range of sectors, including agriculture, poultry, dairy farming, and fruit and vegetable processing. Additional MoUs are expected in the fields of animal vaccines, fisheries, cold chain logistics, fertilisers, seed production, and agricultural chemicals, the sources added.

Sources further revealed that several agreements related to information technology, fintech, e-commerce, cloud computing, and telecommunications are also expected to be signed during the visit.