Pakistan's Leader Visits China for Economic, CPEC Talks

(MENAFN) Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari departed Saturday for a week-long state visit to China, embarking on a tour spanning two major provincial destinations at the invitation of the Chinese government.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry confirmed in an official statement that the visit runs from April 25 to May 1, with Zardari's itinerary divided across two legs. The president is scheduled to spend the first portion of the trip — April 25 to 27 — in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, before proceeding to Sanya in Hainan province from April 28 to May 1.

At each stop, Zardari is expected to engage in meetings with provincial leadership, with discussions centering on the state of bilateral relations and zeroing in on economic and trade cooperation, as well as the flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Notably, Islamabad's foreign ministry made no mention of whether the Pakistani head of state would travel to Beijing for consultations with senior Chinese leadership — leaving open a key question about the visit's full diplomatic scope.

The trip comes as both nations continue to deepen their strategic and economic partnership, with CPEC — the multi-billion-dollar infrastructure and investment initiative linking the two countries — remaining the cornerstone of that relationship.

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