Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi visits China to boost bilateral ties: Foreign Office

Islamabad: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is visiting China to participate in a strategic dialogue and hold talks with the top Chinese leadership on a range of issues, including the multi-billion CPEC project, to strengthen the bilateral ties, the Foreign Office said Sunday.

The announcement of the four-day visit comes days after China for the fourth time blocked a bid in the United Nations (UN) Security Council on Wednesday to designate chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group Masood Azhar as a "global terrorist" by putting a technical hold on the proposal, a move India termed as disappointing.

The proposal to designate Azhar under the 1267 al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council was moved by France, the UK and the US on February 27, days after the Pulwama terror attack which killed forty Indian soldiers.


The Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement that "Qureshi is visiting China from March 17 to 20 for the first Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue".

Apart from the talks on other issues, "both sides shall also discuss the regional situation and cooperation at multilateral fora," the Foreign Office said.

They will specifically hold comprehensive discussions on the entire range of bilateral relations including the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), it said.

The Foreign Minister will also address Political Parties Forum on the CPEC and participate in the ruling parties' dialogue between his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf () and Communist Party of China (CPC) during the visit.

The Foreign Office said that Qureshi will also call on the Chinese leadership.

The Foreign Minister's visit will add momentum to close and broad-based bilateral ties and will reinforce efforts to deepen economic engagement under the CPEC, it said.

The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).