State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang will visit Pakistan from May 5 to May 6 and take part in the dialogue between the foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, said Mao Ning, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, on Thursday.
It will be Gang’s first trip to Pakistan, according to Ning, who also noted that the state councilor’s visit is a crucial component of the current intense contact between Beijing and Islamabad.
Gang will visit Pakistan and co-chair the fourth strategic conversation between the foreign ministers of China and Pakistan with FM Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He will also meet with senior Pakistani officials during this time.
In November last year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had visited China, and the leaders of the two countries pointed out the direction for the development of China-Pakistan relations, she added.
Ning said that China looks forward to promoting the implementation of the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries through this visit, further deepening the strategic communication and practical cooperation between China and Pakistan.
On the trilateral dialogue on Afghanistan, she said that at present, the Afghan people have gone through the most difficult period, but they are still facing serious challenges and urgently need more support and help from the outside world.
The spokesperson further stated that the international community should support the Afghan interim government’s development and reconstruction by stepping up communication and conversation with it.
According to Ning, the gathering of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighbouring nations and the conversation between the FMs of China, Afghanistan, and Pakistan serve as crucial forums for discussions and collaboration on matters pertaining to Afghanistan and aid in building regional agreement on the Arab issue.
Through this dialogue between China, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, “China looks forward to exchanging views with Afghanistan and Pakistan on the situation and trilateral cooperation, expanding the consensus of the three countries, consolidating mutual trust between the three parties, and working together to promote regional peace, stability, development, and prosperity,” the official continued.