Islamabad : June 2 ,2024 : Pakistan is likely to request China to rollover outstanding Rs 575 billion payment of Chinese power producers for at least one year.” Prime minister , Shahbaz Sharif , is according top priority to Chinese power companies outstanding amount issue and he intends to make a request to Chinese leadership to rollover total outstanding dues of Chinese power companies operating in Pakistan” said an official who is accompanying to the prime minister for his upcoming visit to China .Non payment of dues to Chinese power companies has become a thorny issue between Islamabad and Beijing.
At the invitation of President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang of the People’s Republic of China, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official visit to China from 4-8 June 2024.
The visit will have three segments. Besides Beijing, the Prime Minister will visit the cities of Xi’an and Shenzhen.
In Beijing, the Prime Minister will meet President Xi Jinping and hold delegation-level talks with Premier Li Qiang. He will also hold meetings with Chairman, Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Mr. Zhao Leji and heads of key government departments.
An important aspect of the Prime Minister’s visit will be meetings with corporate executives of leading Chinese companies dealing in oil and gas, energy, ICT, and emerging technologies. In Shenzhen, he will address the China- Pakistan Business Forum with leading businesspersons, entrepreneurs, and investors from both countries. He will also visit Economic and Agricultural Zones in China.
The Prime Minister’s visit is a manifestation of the iron-clad Pakistan-China friendship characterized by frequent high-level exchanges and dialogue.
The two sides will undertake discussions to further strengthen the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership; upgrade China-Pakistan Economic Corridor; advance trade and investment; enhance cooperation in security and defence, energy, space, science & technology, and education; and promote cultural cooperation and people-to-people contacts, thus setting the future trajectory of Pakistan-China friendship