Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived on Monday in Beijing to co-chair the 5th Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue.

This visit is the first official visit to China by Dar after he took office.

The minister was received by Ambassador Wang Fu Kang and Pakistan’s envoy to China Dr Khalil Hashmi.

During his visit, Dar will co-chair the Fifth Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue with Chinese Foreign Minister and Director of the General Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China, Wang Yi.

“The two sides will comprehensively review Pakistan-China bilateral relations including economic and trade cooperation; high-level exchanges and visits; up-gradation of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and future connectivity initiatives,” the Foreign Office had earlier stated.

It further stated that the sides will also exchange views on the unfolding regional geopolitical landscape and bilateral cooperation at the multilateral fora.

The FM will also hold meetings with Chinese leaders and senior officials as well as with prominent business enterprises.

Meanwhile, commenting on the current relations with Pakistan and China’s expectation for the visit, a Chinese foreign ministry’s spokesperson said that China would like to work with Pakistan to take this visit as an opportunity to deliver on the important common understandings between the leaders.

The neighbor also would like to carry forward the traditional friendship, step up strategic communication and coordination, deepen practical cooperation in various areas, upgrade the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, deepen the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, and accelerate the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era.