China to strengthen ties with Pakistan

World

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The Chinese government’s top diplomat was in Pakistan on Saturday for the first high-level meetings between the neighbors since new Prime Minister Imran Khan took office, the south Asian nation’s foreign office said.

Beijing has pledged $57 billion in loans for Pakistan as part of its vast Belt and Road initiative, deepening ties at a time when Islamabad’s relations with Washington are fraying over how to deal with Islamist militants waging war in Afghanistan.

State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s three-day visit follows a meeting between Khan and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a news conference during the ongoing National People's Congress (NPC), China's parliamentary body, in Beijing, China

Wang will hold “delegation-level talks” with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and will also call on the Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the foreign office said.

Pakistan is battling a worsening balance of payments crisis that may push it to seek a fresh bailout from the International Monetary Fund, or other lenders.