On Sunday, Prime Minister Imran Khan concluded his four-day visit to China during which he also met with President Xi Jinping. PM Khan reached Beijing on Thursday to attend the opening ceremony of Winter Olympics in a show of solidarity with the Chinese administration after the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia imposed a diplomatic boycott of the global event over alleged human rights concerns.
This show of support on part of Pakistan was the right move given how this boycott by the above-mentioned countries is politically motivated. One wonders if we would have witnessed the same resistance if such an event was being hosted in India—a country responsible for egregious human rights abuses against minorities in the country and innocent Kashmiris in IIOJK.
There were several key meetings during the trip as the PM met with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang on Saturday to discuss regional issues on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Talks with the Chinese business community and investors were also fruitful as interest was expressed in the K-4 water and Hub canal projects in Karachi and a water treatment plant project in Faisalabad. The prospects of increasing investment in Pakistan’s energy sector, including renewable energy projects and improvement of the country’s irrigation infrastructure, which is extremely crucial for Pakistan currently.
A meeting was also held with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev where the two leaders reaffirmed their resolve to comprehensively upgrade Pakistan-Uzbekistan partnership across the broad spectrum and continue taking practical steps for the implementation of key projects such as the Trans-Afghan railway. The importance of operationalising the landmark Uzbekistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (UPTTA) and finalizing the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) was also stressed.
It is also encouraging to see how mutual concerns over the situation in Afghanistan were discussed with both the Uzbek and Chinese leadership. Such engagement between regional actors is necessary if stability is to return to Afghanistan and the region. All in all, this was an important visit—at a time when things are in flux both regionally and internationally—which will provide fresh impetus to the strategic cooperation between the two countries.
