PM Shehbaz to visit China from May 23 to 26, confirms FO

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official visit to China from May 23-26, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said on Friday.

Addressing a weekly press briefing, the spokesperson said the premier is visiting the brotherly country at the invitation of the Government of the People’s Republic of China.

During the visit, PM Shehbaz will hold key meetings with Chinese leadership, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, Andrabi added.

The prime minister will also chair a Pakistan-China Business-to-Business Conference and attend a reception ceremony in Beijing.

Andrabi said that the visit will play an important role in further strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries.

"The visit will provide an opportunity to reaffirm the abiding strength of the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic partnership and advance a shared vision of building an even closer Pakistan-China community of a shared future," Andrabi said.

"The two sides will review bilateral relations, cooperation in political, economic, and strategic domains," the spokesman added.

He said that Pakistan and China have recently marked the completion of 75 years of diplomatic relations with official-level celebrations. Andrabi added that both countries have supported each other in every difficult time over the past 75 years.

The spokesperson said that the relationship has expanded beyond diplomacy into strong partnerships in trade, industry, education, and people-to-people contacts.

Andrabi said that on the occasion of 75 years of diplomatic relations, Pakistan and China are reaffirming their "everlasting friendship" and commitment to further strengthening bilateral cooperation.

This is a developing story and is being updated with further details.