Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan visits China for the Winter Olympics
China's President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan (L) before their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 28, 2019. (Photo by MADOKA IKEGAMI / POOL / AFP)
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan visits China for the Winter Olympics
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan visits China for the Winter Olympics, many believe that he is eyeing a major loan. Analyst say Pakistan is becoming increasingly reliant on Chinese cash.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is visiting China this week to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics and meet with Chinese leaders.
A spokesman for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry told media last Friday that Khan’s visit would reinforce the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, in addition to advancing the objective of building a closer China-Pakistan bond with a shared future.
Khan’s trip is his first in nearly two years. However, some people are skeptical over the reasons for his visit.
Although Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi claimed last Thursday that the visit was aimed at expressing solidarity with Beijing, as some countries have boycotted the Olympics, some Pakistani media outlets report that Islamabad is eyeing a $3 billion (€2.6 billion) loan from China, the world’s second-largest economy after the United States, in addition to pinning hopes on Chinese investment into six sectors.
