Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Islamabad on August 21 to attend the 6th Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue. This visit is part of regular meetings between the two countries to strengthen their close friendship and cooperation.
During the visit, both sides will talk about supporting each other’s key interests, increasing trade and economic ties, and working together for peace and stability in the region.
Wang Yi is expected to meet with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, as well as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. They will discuss progress on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), economic cooperation, regional security, and defense ties.
Read more: Pakistan-China strategic dialogue to be held in Islamabad
He is also likely to meet the Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, in Rawalpindi. This will be Wang Yi’s first visit to Pakistan since the tensions with India in May last year. It also follows a recent meeting between him and Field Marshal Munir in Beijing, showing the strong relationship between China and Pakistan.
Wang Yi visit, a three-country meeting between the foreign ministers of Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan is expected to happen in Kabul. Ishaq Dar may travel with Wang Yi to meet Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, although the meeting could also happen in Islamabad.
These talks will focus on regional peace and Pakistan’s concerns about security related to Afghanistan. Despite some international efforts to stop the meeting, the three countries have agreed to go ahead after weeks of discussions.
Wang Yi’s visit is seen as important for the region. It comes after his stop in New Delhi and just before Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s planned visit to China later this month for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.
