Chinese FM to visit Pakistan for strategic dialogue on Friday

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang is set to arrive in Islamabad on Friday (May 5) on a two-day official at the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to hold a strategic dialogue, the Foreign Office said Wednesday.

According to the Foreign Office spokesperson, this would be the Chinese foreign minister’s first official visit to Pakistan since assuming office.

FM Bilawal and his Chinese counterpart will co-chair the 4th round of the Pakistan-China Strategic Dialogue.

The strategic dialogue is a structured mechanism that reviews bilateral cooperation in key areas.

The two sides will reaffirm the abiding vitality of the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership; develop a roadmap for multidimensional cooperation between Pakistan and China; and discuss the evolving regional and global landscape.

The 3rd round of the Pakistan-China Strategic Dialogue took place in July 2021 in Chengdu, China.

On Tuesday, the Chinese foreign ministry announced that Foreign Minister Qin Gang will visit India to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers’ meeting to be held on May 4 and 5 in Panaji, the capital of Goa.

At the meeting, Qin Gang will exchange views with other SCO member state foreign ministers on the international and regional situation and SCO cooperation in various fields, among other topics, to make full preparation for this year’s SCO summit, the statement added.