China confirms Premier Li's participation in SCO meet in Pakistan

On Sunday, China confirmed that Premier Li Qiang will travel to Islamabad to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting this week and also pay a bilateral visit to enhance cooperation between the two countries.

The confirmation of Li's attendance at the SCO summit followed speculation about his participation in the wake of the killing of two Chinese workers in a suicide attack in Karachi and the ongoing agitation by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party for the release of its jailed leader and former premier Imran Khan.

Premier Li will attend the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the SCO in Islamabad and pay an official visit to Pakistan from October 14 to 17, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement.

Pakistan has deployed army troops in Islamabad to maintain security for the high-level meeting to be attended among others by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

The SCO member states included China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.

During his four-day trip from October 14-17, Premier Li would meet Pakistan’s civil and military leadership and attend the SCO meeting, state-run the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.

He will be accompanied by ministers and senior officials, including from the ministries of foreign affairs and commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission and the China International Development Cooperation Agency.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Chinese counterpart will lead their respective delegations to comprehensively discuss all aspects of Pakistan-China relations, including economic and trade ties and cooperation under the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The two sides will also discuss regional and global developments.

Premier Li will also call on President Asif Ali Zardari and hold meetings with parliamentary leaders.

His visit to Islamabad is an expression of the importance attached by Pakistan and China to their “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership”, APP reported.

It will be an occasion for the two sides to reaffirm mutual support on issues of core interest, advance the high-quality development of the CPEC and reinforce regular exchanges on important regional and global developments, the APP added. Prime Minister Sharif on Monday ssured the Chinese of personally overseeing the investigation into the Karachi attack, for which the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility.

Earlier reports from Pakistan said Li may inaugurate the Chinese-built international airport at Gwadar in Balochistan.

The airport was stated to be the biggest in Pakistan. It also marks the establishment of multimodal connectivity to the port and free zone operated by China Overseas Ports Holding (COPH) Company, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported last month.

In 2013, Pakistan handed over the construction and operation of the Gwadar port in Balochistan, which connects with China’s Xinjiang province.

India has protested to China over the CPEC as it is being laid through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The CPEC project faced strong resistance from the militant group the Baloch Liberation Army, which alleges exploitation of the rich natural resources of Balochistan by Pakistan and China.

On Friday, China said it dispatched an inter-agency working group to Pakistan to review the security of scores of Chinese personnel working on the CPEC projects. The working group met intensively with heads of the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, and military, police and intelligence departments.

China is in a quandary on how to deal with the recurring attacks by the BLA. The attacks have been taking place despite Pakistan pressing thousands of security personnel to protect the Chinese personnel.

"The working group asked the Pakistani side to properly handle ensuing matters, make every effort to save the injured, conduct thorough investigations, bring all the perpetrators to justice, and step up security measures to ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel, institutions and projects in Pakistan," a Foreign Ministry statement here said.