Pakistan and China will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tuesday for the establishment of two new Joint Working Groups under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for agriculture and science & technology, the Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said who along with President Dr Arif Alvi will leave for Beijing on Monday (today) for a two-day visit, EDNews reports citing Dispatch News Desk.

In a statement on Monday, Asad Umar said that the MoU is part of the broadening of the CPEC from the first phase which was mainly infrastructure to a much broader economic partnership.

The minister said that the MoU states that the governments of China and Pakistan believe that the CPEC has entered a new stage of enrichment & expansion with increasing cooperation areas, expanding cooperation scale and growing cooperation projects.

The visit by the Pakistani delegation from March 16 to 17, 2020 is being undertaken at the invitation of President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China, and during which a number of MoUs are expected to be signed between the two Countries.

During the visit, President Arif Alvi will meet his Chinese Counterpart Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders.

This will be President Arif Alvi’s first visit to China, which is singularly aimed at conveying strong support and solidarity of Pakistan towards the government and the people of China while Beijing was resolutely engaged in efforts to contain and deal with the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The visit will play an important role in further solidifying the historic bonds of trust and mutual support between the two “iron brothers”.

It will also serve as an opportunity for the leadership of the two Countries to review bilateral, regional and international issues and to advance the shared goals of promoting peace, prosperity, and development in the region and beyond.