CHENGDU: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi arrived in the Chinese city of Chengdu on Friday on a two-day official visit to China.
Upon arrival at Chengdu airport, Qureshi, who was visiting China at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, was received by senior officials of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Foreign Minister led the Pakistan delegation at the bilateral talks held in Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan province.
During the talks, matters relating to bilateral relations, cooperation in diverse areas, progress on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, availability of coronavirus vaccine, counter-terrorism, promotion of cooperation in the fields of defence and security and issues of mutual interest including the regional situation were discussed.
Foreign Minister Qureshi and his Chinese counterpart will also hold a joint press conference after the delegation-level talks.
During the visit, Foreign Minister Qureshi will also hold meetings with important personalities including Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Foreign Minister Qureshi in a video statement said that his visit had special importance in further strengthening successful diplomatic relations established between Pakistan and China 70 years back and promoting high-level contacts.
Backdrop
Earlier, the Dasu bus incident had strained relations between the two close friends as nine Chinese nationals lost their lives in the incident. Prime Minister Imran Khan held a telephone conversation with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang last Friday, said a statement by Foreign Office.
During the call, Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed heartfelt condolences over the loss of precious lives of Chinese nationals caused by the “tragic incident” in Dasu.
China will dispatch a task force to Pakistan to jointly investigate the deadly blast that killed nine Chinese nationals, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said last Thursday.
China Global Television Network (CGTN) reported that Zhao urged the Pakistani government to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and the security of projects.
Nine Chinese and three Pakistani nationals were killed and 39 others injured when there was an explosion on a bus in the Upper Kohistan district of Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong visited the injured Chinese nationals at a military hospital in Rawalpindi on Wednesday night, extending the care and concern of the Chinese government and people to the injured and wishing them a quick recovery.
The blast took place on a shuttle vehicle of the Dasu Hydropower Project, which a Chinese company is contracted to build, as it headed to the construction site in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
