Chinese President Xi Jinping likely to visit Pakistan in February

ISLAMABAD: China's President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Pakistan in February to increase economic and strategic cooperation, government officials said today.

The visit was rescheduled after President Xi refused to travel to Islamabad in September due to protest by opposition leader Imran Khan.

A government official said that a delegation led by Vice Minister of the International Department of the Committee of the Communist Party Chen Fengxiang discussed the upcoming visit of Chinese leader with government officials.

The delegation had also met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other senior government officials.

The official said that the two sides are hoping for the visit to take place in February.

Sharif told the delegation that Pakistan was eagerly looking forward to welcome the Chinese leader.

It is expected the two countries would kick-start work on multi-billion dollars Pak-China Economic Corridor project which will link Chinese western Xiangiang autonomous region with Pakistan's Gawadar port on the Arabian seas.

The project is aimed at building roads and rail network through some of the most difficult terrain.