THE HINDU Xi Jinping meets Imran Khan, calls for improvement of Indo-Pak relations
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.
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