Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif begins China trade trip
In Nawaz Sharif's first visit as premier, he seeks to cement infrastructure projects, while terrorism tops agenda for hosts in Beijing
Nawaz Sharif began his maiden foreign trip as Pakistani prime minister yesterday, visiting China in hopes of securing infrastructure projects to help tackle Pakistan's economic and energy problems.
Sharif is due to meet President Xi Jinping , and Premier Li Keqiang , before heading to Shanghai. He will also meet financial and corporate leaders, and visit major industrial centres during his trip.
The visit is the second high-level meeting between the two nations since May, when Li visited Pakistan.
Both sides are expected to highlight a tradition of friendship and pledge to boost investment.
Trade between China and Pakistan last year reached US$12 billion - a fraction of China and India's US$67 billion bilateral trade.
But observers said both China and Pakistan still find each other strategically important. China wants to boost development in the restive region of Xinjiang and cement ties with countries along its western border, while Pakistan aims to get rid of internal violent unrest through fixing its ailing economy, they said.
The two nations are "telling the outside world that there is a strong investment relationship between Pakistan and China", said Ahmad Rashid Malik, director of China and Asia-Pacific at the Islamabad-based Institute of Strategic Studies.