Prime Minister Imran Khan will begin his four-day visit to China on February 3 (tomorrow), where he will meet President Xi Jinping and his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang, with a focus on trade, economic cooperation and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The trip, in which the PM will also attend his first-ever Olympic event, is expected to bring ‘financial dividends’ for Pakistan.

“At the special invitation of the Chinese leadership, Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit China from 3-6 February 2022 to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games. The Prime Minister will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including members of the Cabinet and senior government officials,” read a statement issued by the Foreign Office spokesperson on Wednesday.

The premier in his last interaction with the Chinese media had expressed his intention to attend the mega sports event “As the former captain of Pakistan’s national cricket team, I’m looking forward to Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. This will be the first Olympics I would ever see, and the first Winter Olympics I’ll ever see up close. Since entering politics, I haven’t had a chance to watch a sports event in person so I’m really looking forward to it,” he had said.

During the visit, the PM in his bilateral meetings with the top Chinese leadership will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations, with a particular focus on stronger trade and economic cooperation including CPEC. They would also have a wide-ranging exchange of views on major regional and international issues.

The prime minister’s visit will mark the culmination of celebrations commemorating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China, with more than 140 events organised to showcase the resilience of the “all-weather strategic cooperative partnership amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and the unfolding international situation. A number of MoUs and agreements would be concluded during the visit, it read.

While in Beijing, the prime minister will also meet prominent business leaders of China and representatives of leading Chinese think-tanks, academia and the media. He will also have other bilateral interactions on the sidelines.