Zardari leaves for China today for five-day visit – Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Presi­dent Asif Ali Zardari will embark on a five-day state visit to China on Tuesday (today), the Foreign Office announced on Monday.

During the visit, Mr Zardari is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and other senior Chinese officials in Beijing.

Talks will focus on economic and trade cooperation, counterterrorism and security collaboration, and the advancement of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The two sides will also discuss regional and global geopolitical developments and enhance bilateral coo­p­eration in multilateral forums.

Mr Zardari was initially set to visit China in early Nov­ember, a period mar­ked by heightened Chinese security concerns following attacks on its nationals in Pakistan.

At the time, Foreign Min­ister Ishaq Dar had indicated that Pakistani officials were prepared to provide updates to Pre­sident Xi on ongoing investigations into these security threats. However, the visit was postponed after Mr Zardari suffered a foot fracture during a trip to the United Arab Emirates.

As part of his itinerary, Mr Zardari will also attend the inaugural ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, Heilo­ngjiang province, at the special invitation of the Chinese government.

The visit underscores the tradition of high-level exch­anges between Pakistan and China, reflecting the deep commitment of the two countries to strengthen their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, the FO said in a statement.

The statement reaffirms mutual support on core issues, advances economic and trade cooperation, including CPEC, and highlights their joint commitment to regional peace, development, and stability.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2025