ISLAMABAD: Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC) and member of the Communist Party’s Central Committee Mr Liu Jianchao is set to arrive Islamabad today on a three-day visit and would hold high level meetings with the Pakistani leadership.
Mr Liu is visiting Pakistan from 20-22 June 2024 on the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar.
Mr. Liu Jianchao is a senior CPC leader who has held top offices in China. Liu Jianchao heads the Communist Party’s diplomatic arm, the IDCPC, a body that promotes the party’s ideology and influence abroad.
Mr. Liu’s appointment signals a departure from the abrasive “wolf warrior” diplomacy. A fluent speaker of English who studied briefly at Oxford University, Mr. Liu has a knack for defending Beijing’s most ardent positions, such as its claims to the self-governing island of Taiwan, without being acerbic. Mr. Liu is considered a trusted CPC loyalist.
Many who have met with Mr. Liu say he is more informal and engaging than other Chinese officials, seemingly comfortable going off script.
During the visit, Mr Liu will co-chair with Dar the Third Meeting of the Pakistan-China Joint Consultative Mechanism (JCM) of the Political Parties on CPEC. He will also call on the senior civil and military leadership of Pakistan.
Established in 2019, the JCM of Political Parties on CPEC is a regular consultation mechanism between the Communist Party of China and the political parties of Pakistan. Previous meetings were held on 19 March 2019 in Beijing and on 20 August 2020 virtually.
At the Third Meeting of the JCM, Pakistan and China will review the progress of CPEC projects, CPEC’s contribution to Pakistan’s socio-economic development, and its up-gradation and extension for regional connectivity.
The visit is a part of high-level exchanges between Pakistan and China including between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the political parties of Pakistan.
It reflects upon the importance attached by the two countries to further deepen their “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership”, reaffirm mutual support on issues of respective core interests, advance high-quality development of CPEC and enhance communication and dialogue on important regional and global developments.
