Daily Times

Visiting Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Monday met with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir, the military said in a statement. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), during the meeting, matters of mutual interest and defence cooperation were discussed. The ISPR further said that both reiterated the desire to further enhance and strengthen bilateral relations in all fields. China’s Vice Premier and one of President Xi’s close aides, He Lifeng, arrived in Islamabad a day earlier on a three-day visit to mark not only 10 years of CPEC but to discuss the next phase of the flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project.

He Lifeng, 68, was named in March as a key government official overseeing China’s economy. In his new role as the vice premier, he oversees everything from industrial policy to trade negotiations. He spent the past five years as the leading central planner of China’s economy. The Chinese vice-premier has played a prominent role in China’s international economic relations and implementation of the BRI, of which CPEC is a flagship project.