CONTEXT:

• China’s President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan before a meeting in Beijing on April 28, 2019.
• He expressed hope that Pakistan and India can meet each other halfway to improve their strained relations following the Pulwama terror attack by a JeM suicide bomber.
• The India-Pakistan relations reportedly figured prominently in the meeting. Mr. Xi expressed hope that Pakistan and India can meet each other halfway and promote the stabilisation and improvement of India-Pakistan relations
• Khan arrived in China on April 25 and attended China’s 2nd Belt and Road Forum (BRF) held on April 26-27.

BACKGROUND:

• Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) started by Mr. Xi in 2013 in which $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is an important component.
• India skipped the meeting for the second time, protesting over the CPEC which is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
• Khan’s meeting with Mr. Xi took place when China is under pressure at the United Nations over its repeated attempts to block efforts to declare Pakistan-based JeM leader Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.