Shehbaz Sharif: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared on Saturday he looked forward to meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping along with other world leaders as he arrived in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also touched down on his first visit after a seven-year gap. Pakistan-China relationships have been amicable for the past decade, but, this event is particularly important due to the presence of not just the Indian Prime Minister, but also other significant world leader like Vladimir Putin.
The SCO summit, to be held in the northern port city of China’s Tianjin on Sunday and Monday, will gather more than 20 world leaders in a powerful show of Global South solidarity, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus. Another 16 countries are affiliated as observers or “dialogue partners”.
PM Shehbaz arrived in Tianjin with Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.