Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasized that Pakistan's all-weather relationship with China was "unshakable" as he embarked on a five-day official visit to Beijing from June 4 to 8 at the invitation of President Xi Jinping.
This is the 72-year-old leader's first visit to China, after he took over as prime minister for the second term this year, to bolster bilateral ties and to launch the second phase of the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in his country.
The USD 60 billion CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan's Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in Beijing last week that Sharif and Xi will “jointly draw a blueprint” for the growth of China-Pakistan relations.
In an interview with Chinese media ahead of his visit, Sharif said that the two countries are "iron brothers" and their friendship is unshakable. "We are two iron brothers, our friendship is unshakable and our hearts beat together," Sharif was quoted as saying by Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency.
"Despite the hot weather, it still doesn't match the warmth of our hearts," the prime minister said. He asserted that China has supported Pakistan through the difficult times, and Islamabad considers Beijing as one of the "most trusted friends" around the globe.
