ISLAMABAD: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi will arrive in Islamabad on August 21 for a two-day visit to lead his country in the Pakistan-China strategic dialogue and hold high-level meetings with Pakistan’s civil and military leadership.
The senior Chinese diplomat will fly in directly from New Delhi, where he begins a crucial regional tour on Monday. The trip comes at a time of shifting geopolitical realities. Pakistan recently experienced a brief but intense military conflict with India in May, followed by the Iran-Israel war in June, and a notable improvement in ties between Islamabad and Washington in recent weeks.
In this regard, China played an important role in supporting Pakistan during the four-day military standoff with India. Although Beijing did not intervene directly, Chinese defense cooperation, including J-10C fighter jets and advanced PL-15 missiles, significantly boosted Pakistan’s operational capacity.
In addition, given the current environment, both sides are expected to explore avenues for deepening strategic and economic cooperation. Meanwhile, diplomatic contacts between the two countries have grown considerably in recent months, indicating the importance both attach to their partnership.
Similarly, in a separate development, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is scheduled to visit Dhaka on August 23.
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The visit, twice postponed due to regional tensions, is seen as a step towards consolidating the recent improvement in Pakistan-Bangladesh relations.
