SCO summit: Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives in Pakistan

Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang arrived on Monday in Pakistan to attend Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit being held in the country on October 15 and 16.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received the Chinese PM who is accompanied by ministers and senior officials of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission and the China International Development Cooperation Agency.

The Chinese PM was welcomed with a 21-gun salute.

Pakistan, China to advance CPEC development during Premier Li Qiang’s visit: FO

Following the arrival of the Chinese PM, PM Shehbaz in a statememtn on X said he was delighted to welcome his Chinese counterpart and looked forward to a “historic and productive visit”.

“We will review progress on existing initiatives, especially CPEC and also explore new avenues of mutually beneficial cooperation. Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership is a cornerstone of regional stability and prosperity,” he said.

During his visit, PM Qiang will hold comprehensive discussions with PM Shehbaz.

The discussion will focus on strengthening Pakistan-China relations with particular attention given to economic and trade ties as well as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

The two leaders will also discuss regional and global developments, emphasizing the strategic partnership between the two countries.

During his visit, Premier Qiang will meet with President Asif Ali Zardari and will hold meetings with key parliamentary leaders and senior military officials of Pakistan.

These discussions will serve to reinforce the strong, all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two nations.

SCO summit

Pakistan is set to host a two-day SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Islamabad on October 15 and 16, with leaders from the bloc attending the event.

The SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting will discuss ongoing cooperation in fields of economy, trade, environment and socio-cultural linkages and review the performance of the Organization.

China, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will be represented by their prime ministers while India’s foreign minister S. Jaishankar and Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref will also attend the event.

The government has deployed the Pakistan Army in the federal capital for the security of the upcoming SCO summit.

The army troops will be responsible for the security of Islamabad’s Red Zone, which will house most of the meetings and is also home to parliament and a diplomatic enclave, according to interior ministry.

It also announced a three-day “closed holiday“ in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, from October 14 to 16.