President Asif Ali Zardari departed on Saturday for a five-day official visit to China, where he would meet the Chinese leadership to advance economic and trade cooperation and the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Sardar Salim Haider Khan saw him off at Lahore airport before his departure. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the visit is taking place on the invitation of the Chinese government.
During the trip, President Zardari will visit Changsha in Hunan province from April 25 to 27 and then travel to Sanya in Hainan province from April 28 to May 1.
He is expected to meet provincial leaders to discuss Pakistan-China relations, with a focus on improving trade, economic cooperation, and progress on CPEC projects.
Officials said the visit is part of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and is especially important this year as Pakistan and China celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations.
The Foreign Office added that the visit shows both countries’ strong commitment to further strengthening their long-standing partnership.
Last year, President Zardari also visited China for 10 days, where he met top officials to expand cooperation in different sectors.
During that visit, six agreements were signed between the Sindh government and business partners in areas such as defence, energy, railways, and agriculture, with plans to expand these partnerships to other provinces.
