Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chinese President Xi Jinping will discuss the entire spectrum of bilateral relations in addition to regional and international issues during their upcoming meeting to be held on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan this week, Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Zhang Hanhui said here on Monday.
“I am sure the meeting between the two leaders will focus on pressing issues in the bilateral relations, as well as regional and international issues,” he said while responding to a question during his briefing on President Xi’s visits to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The vice minister, however, said the arrangements for the relevant bilateral meeting between the two leaders are still being discussed.
He said this year Prime Minister Imran Khan visited China and held a meeting with President Xi in which they discussed bilateral relations and regional issues as well as counter-terrorism issues. “Our bilateral relations are growing very well under the Belt and Road framework and in terms of counter-terrorism,” he added.
Zhang said both the countries had carried out concrete cooperation with very fruitful outcomes. “Such outcomes are important for our two economies and have played a positive role in promoting our respective security and regional stability,” he added.
Briefing the media, he said President Xi will pay a state visit to Kyrgyzstan and attend the 19th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in Bishkek from June 12 to 14. Xi will also attend the 5th summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Dushanbe, the capital city of Tajikistan, and pay a state visit to the country from June 14 to 16. A series of formal and informal meetings, activities and bilateral discussions will be held, with dozens of agreements expected to be signed and declarations to be announced, he added.
The vice minister said the visits of President Xi will inject vigor to the cooperation between the SCO and CICA. He noted that during the visits, China, along with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, will draw a new blueprint for cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and deepen economic and people-to-people interactions. During the meeting, the leaders will review the achievements of the SCO under Kyrgyzstan’s presidency, discuss plans for further cooperation and determine the areas of further development of the organisation, he said.
The Bishkek meeting is expected to witness signing of documents aimed at deepening interaction between regions, strengthening the fight against illicit drug trafficking, establishing cooperation in information technologies, environmental protection, healthcare and sports. In the economic sphere, the emphasis will be placed on expansion and deepening cooperation between SCO member states in the financial sector, investment, transportation, energy, and agriculture.
The heads of SCO member states, observer states, and international organisations will attend the 19th meeting of the SCO heads of state to be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from June 13 to 14.
The SCO has eight member states, four observer states, and six dialogue partners. Its member states – China, Pakistan, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – account for more than 20 percent of the global economy and 40 percent of its population.