ISLAMABAD – China has very close ties with Pakistan and accords highimportance to these relations; as was evident from the very warm welcomegiven to Prime Minister Imran Khan during his recent visit to attend theBelt and Road Forum.
Lijian Zhao, Deputy Chief of Mission here at the Chinese Embassy, told aprivate news channel that Prime Minister Imran Khan was chosen from amongst40 international guests and he was one of the seven leaders to address theinaugural session.
Lijian Zhao said the prime minister delivered a keynote speech at theopening ceremony of the BRF, after the address of President Xi Jinping, asa “special” gesture. He said although there were several sessions, butImran Khan was chosen to speak at the outset, signifying the importanceChina gives to its ties with Pakistan.
Prime Minister Imran Khan paid an official visit to China from April 25-28at the invitation of President Xi Jinping to attend the Second Belt andRoad Forum (BRF) and the opening ceremony of the Beijing InternationalHorticulture Exhibition 2019.
Lijian Zhao said Prime Minister Imran Khan also attended a banquet hostedby President Xi Jinping for the world leaders the same evening.
He said the multilateral event also had a bilateral component and PrimeMinister, accompanied by ministers and senior officials, separately metPresident Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqian.
He said the prime minister and his delegation were hosted to a banquet byVice President Wang Qishan.
During the meetings, the two sides reviewed the entire range of bilateralrelations, including CPEC, and reaffirmed the resolve to further strengthenthe all-weather strategic cooperative partnership in all dimensions.
The prime minister’s second visit to China provided an importantopportunity to exchange views with the Chinese leadership on bilateral andregional issues; and to invite Chinese businessmen and investors to explorethe immense potential of Pakistani market.