Chinese Finance Minister Lan Fo’an met with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and reaffirmed China’s ongoing support for Pakistan’s financial stability.
During the meeting, Minister Lan praised the strong financial and banking cooperation between the two countries, highlighting it as a testament to their “All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership.” He also noted the positive developments in Pakistan’s economy. According to the Foreign Office, the discussions focused on enhancing financial cooperation, especially considering the increasing business-to-business (B2B) connections between the nations.
Deputy PM Dar emphasized Pakistan’s reform agenda, which prioritizes governance, revenue generation, and improving the ease of doing business to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). He underscored the importance of prioritizing Chinese investments in various sectors such as agriculture, IT, mining, and renewable energy.
Previously, on May 13, Dar co-chaired the 5th Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue in Beijing, where he met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. Wang Yi expressed China’s willingness to advance an “upgraded version” of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Both sides committed to maintaining and deepening their bilateral relationship across all areas of cooperation.
During his four-day visit, Dar engaged with several high-level Chinese officials, including Executive Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Secretary-General Ambassador Zhang Ming. Discussions with Xuexiang covered various aspects of bilateral relations, including CPEC Phase II, trade, economic cooperation, and investment. Dar highlighted the achievements of CPEC in energy and infrastructure and expressed optimism about the benefits of Phase II in industry, agriculture, and mineral development.
Dar also promoted Pakistan’s investor-friendly policies and invited Chinese companies to establish manufacturing and processing units in the country.
