Beijing (Agencies): Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
According to sources, among the matters discussed were the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project and ways to further strengthen the bilateral ties between the two countries.
PM Imran took the Chinese premier into confidence regarding investments from other countries in the CPEC project, the sources added.
Khan on Thursday night reached Beijing on his first official visit to China at the invitation of the Chinese leadership.
China’s Minister for Transport Li Xiaopeng, Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing, and senior government officials received the Prime Minister at Beijing Airport.
According to a Foreign Office statement, during his visit from November 2 to 5, the prime minister will hold meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.
During his visit, Khan will participate in the First China International Import Expo in Shanghai, where Pakistan is exhibiting a wide range of export products. PM Khan will be a keynote speaker at the inauguration ceremony of the expo.
Moreover, the prime minister will also meetings with other world leaders as well as the leaders of Chinese financial and corporate sector on the sidelines of Shanghai forum.
Earlier, speaking to Chinese media ahead of his departure, Prime Minister Imran Khan said his visit will serve as a great opportunity for Pakistan to increase its exports, narrow down trade deficit and earn more revenue to address the looming financial issues.
“We need some help to push our exports. The main issue for Pakistan right now is the current account deficit,” he said.
The PM said that Pakistan has many items including textiles, agricultural products, sports goods, surgical equipment and leather goods to export, adding that his government is taking a series of tough reforms to make Pakistan’s export items more competitive in the global market.
“Once our governance system improves, and the cost of doing business in Pakistan goes down, we will then be able to compete with our international competitors,” he added.
This is the first official visit of the Prime Minister Imran Khan to China after assuming office in August 2018.