ISLAMABAD: Later this week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Xinping are scheduled to meet informally. This will be their first face-to-face meeting since Pakistan's new administration took office in April.

On September 15 and 16, President Xi and Prime Minister Shehbaz will have a meeting outside of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

A diplomatic source confirmed to The Express Tribune on Sunday that President Xi and the prime minister will meet during the SCO conference. According to further sources, the full range of bilateral ties would be discussed.

Other world leaders anticipated to attend the meeting include Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, in addition to Prime Minister Shehbaz and President Xi Jinping.

Shehbaz will speak during the SCO summit, but attention will also be paid to his individual meetings, including one he had on the sidelines of the summit with the president of China. Since taking office as prime minister, he has yet to see President Xi.


After being chosen as prime minister five months ago, Shehbaz had intended to travel to Beijing, but his trip was canceled since a meeting with President Xi could not be arranged.


Although no official explanation was given, reports said that President Xi was prevented from seeing Prime Minister Shehbaz due to rigorous Covid-19 rules. The Chinese president is currently visiting Samarkand, his first trip abroad in more than two years.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor would be the main emphasis as both parties reassess their bilateral relationship, according to insiders (CPEC). On the agenda, however, will also be a discussion of the recent enormous floods brought on by record monsoon rainfall.


The extent of the destruction has severely strained Pakistan's already fragile economy. During a recent visit to Pakistan, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres disclosed that the flood had already cost the nation $30 billion.


The UN head encouraged the world to give Pakistan a lot of assistance since Pakistan was paying the price for something that was started by others. China would undoubtedly be a source of important assistance for Pakistan in the restoration and rehabilitation of the flood-affected areas.

Russia, China, India, Pakistan, and the four Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan make up the SCO, an organization for political, economic, and security cooperation in Eurasia. Iran is slated to join the group.