Chinese vice premier Wang Yang arrives in Islamabad on two-day visit

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang has landed in Islamabad on a two-day visit to Pakistan which is being undertaken on the directions of President Xi Jinping as informed by the sources. 

He will be the “special guest” to mark the country’s 70th Independence Day, and call on President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, a statement from the foreign office said.

He is slated to participate in an inauguration ceremony of projects related to the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). 

Some bilateral agreements are also likely to be signed.

The visit of Vice Premier Wang holds much significance for the entire south Asian region, especially in the backdrop of the ongoing tensions between India and China over Doklam. 

The Pakistani media has described the visit as a gesture symbolising the close ‘brotherly and cooperative ties’ between Pakistan and China and ‘Beijing's strong political support for Islamabad.’

Pakistan is celebrating its Independence Day on August 14. 

“His visit on this important milestone for Pakistan is a reflection of the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between Pakistan and China,” the Foreign Office said. 

As a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Wang is among the top leaders in China.

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