ISLAMABAD/BEIJING: The army chief has arrived in Beijing on a four-day state visit to China aimed at boosting bilateral defence ties, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
According to Radio Pakistan, during the visit, Gen. Syed Asim Munir will hold separate meetings with the Chinese leadership.
This is Gen. Munir’s fourth overseas visit ever since he took command of the military in November of last year. In January, he visited Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) on his first visit abroad since his appointment.
A month later, he visited the United Kingdom on a visit on Britain’s Ministry of Defence invitation to discuss security-related strategic issues. After the UK, Gen. Munir again toured the UAE.
Gen. Munir “is on a four-day official visit to China for enhancing bilateral military relations,” the media wing of the military said in a statement without providing any further details about the trip.
BEIJING
CHINAThe Chief of Army Staff of the #Pakistan Army 🇵🇰, General Asim Munir, has arrived on an official military visit to the People’s Republic of #China 🇨🇳
The COAS is leading a high-level military delegation at the invitation of the leadership of the People’s… pic.twitter.com/ywbOHIc1sM
— The STRATCOM Bureau (@OSPSF) April 24, 2023
It is common for the new army chief to undertake a visit to China within weeks of his appointment. The delay this time is attributed to the volatile political situation in Pakistan.
The visit comes amidst mounting pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on cash-strapped Pakistan to arrange at least $6 billion to bridge the external payment financial gap.
So far, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have committed to providing $3 billion but the international lender has demanded assurance for the remaining amount.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif last week acknowledged the army chief’s efforts towards securing financial commitments from Pakistan’s friendly countries.
Though nothing has been said officially about the financial purpose of the visit, China is the only country, apart from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which is believed to provide critical support to Pakistan.
The economy has been in dire straits after years of neglect by successive governments.
The economic crisis has worsened due to the prevailing political chaos in the country. Fighting between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on the one hand and the government and judiciary on the other over the holding of elections in Punjab have exacerbated the financial crisis.
