ISLAMABAD: The visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pakistan has once again been postponed; but the reason behind this postponement is the Middle East unrest, it was learnt. According to sources privy to the development, the Chinese President was expected to arrive on a two-day official visit on April 10 and 11 but it has been postponed due to a fragile situation in Yemen.
The sources further said that new dates are being negotiated between the two foreign offices in Islamabad and Beijing. They maintained that the visit is expected to take place later this month and the dates would subsequently be announced by the two foreign offices when finalised.
According to sources, the Chinese President during his visit, which is expected to take place later this month, is expected to address the joint sitting of Parliament and the two sides will also sign a number of MoUs and agreements regarding nuclear power, the Gwadar port, the Pak-China Economic Corridor (PCEC), energy, trade and investment.
The Foreign Office, which earlier confirmed that the visit of the Chinese President will take place this year, did not announce any schedule.
Meanwhile, the Committee constituted by the Prime Minister regarding the visit of Chinese President to Pakistan, in its meeting chaired by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday reviewed preparations for the long-awaited visit.
Minister for Planning and Development, Ahsan Iqbal and senior officials of various ministries attended the meeting.
The Finance Minister was given a detailed briefing about the responsibilities assigned to various Ministries and departments for the conduct of the visit.
He was apprised about the reception plan and security arrangements besides an overview of important agreements proposed to be signed during the visit. While receiving briefing about the traffic management plan, the Finance Minister said that an alternate travel arrangement should be devised to avoid any inconvenience for general public.
The Minister emphasised complete inter-ministerial co-ordination for finalisation of all proposed agreements and MoUs.
He called for elaborate arrangements for media coverage with due focus on pre-visit publicity, highlighting the significance of this visit which is expected to herald a new era of Pak-China co-operation with CPEC projects leading the way to economic prosperity. Organising seminar and symposia with Chinese participation were proposed to highlight the visit.
The Finance Minister and the Minister for Planning and Development also issued instructions for chalking out impressive cultural events during the course of visit, which they said should be truly reflective of the national heritage.
Ishaq Dar on this occasion said that the special committee was constituted to oversee the arrangements but the respective ministries and departments had their own due responsibilities to be fulfilled and they should have an active liaison among them and with the committee, updating it on the preparations.
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