China’s Xi Jinping to visit close ally Pakistan
FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 24, 2014 file photo, Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, shows the way to the guests who attended the signing ceremony of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Japan has no plan as of now to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, its government spokesman said Tuesday, March 31, 2015. (AP Photo/Takaki Yajima, Pool, File)
BEIJING >> Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to ally Pakistan next week for a visit postponed last year amid mass anti-government demonstrations in that country’s capital, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.
China and Pakistan have long maintained close political and military relations, based partly on mutual antipathy toward neighbor India. However, stronger China-India ties have challenged that perception and Xi’s visit seems intended to reassure Pakistan that relations remain robust. Following the postponement of his trip last year, Xi went ahead with a visit to India, with whom China is eager to boost trade and investment.
China is a leading arms supplier to Pakistan and has sought its help in combating anti-Chinese Islamic separatists reportedly hiding in the country’s lawless tribal areas. China is also eager to enlist Pakistan’s help in stabilizing Afghanistan as U.S. troops wind down their presence there.
Xi will be traveling with a large business delegation and is expected to oversee the signing of investment agreements with Pakistan worth billions of dollars, particularly in the energy and transportation industries. Such deals are key components in China’s plan for a China-Pakistan "economic corridor" extending China’s economic influence into South Asia and further west.
Pakistan’s development has long been hindered by political strife such as the protests in Islamabad in September calling for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation that prompted Xi to put off his visit.
Xi will visit Pakistan on Monday and Tuesday before traveling to Indonesia, the Foreign Ministry said.
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Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Xi will hold talks with Sharif, along with the heads of the Pakistani armed forces.
"During the visit, the two sides will review all aspects of their bilateral relations and also exchange views on regional issues and international developments," the ministry said in a statement.
Xi’s visit would "further consolidate the existing ‘all weather relations’ between Pakistan and China, in all areas of importance, especially political, economic and strategic," it said.
