Pakistani Foreign Minister to visit China
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar will begin a three-day state visit to China today.
During today’s visit, Dar will meet with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi where the two will hold the fifth round of the China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue. Alongside high-level discussions on economic cooperation, Dar and Wang are expected to exchange views on the regional geopolitical landscape.
Dar visits China amid strained India-Pakistan relations partly because of civilian unrest in Kasmir. In addition, ahead of elections this year, India’s BJP party has claimed that Pakistan is supporting separatist militants in India and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi. China-India relations are also tense as the two countries seek to downplay each other’s influence. Tensions are also attributed to their disputed border known as the Line of Actual Control. Despite recording a significant increase in bilateral trade, the two countries remain in a stand-off over the border.
China-Pakistan ties are likely to continue to improve as they have in recent years. While China and Pakistan will likely launch new infrastructure projects and continue to collaborate on lunar exploration, bilateral ties will likely take on a more strategic role in the medium-term. Expect this partnership to drive a deeper wedge between Pakistan and India, which may escalate into a few violent skirmishes over the disputed Kashmir region.
