Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir in China to discuss CPEC security, military co-operation

Beijing: With ties between China and Pakistan under growing strain due to problems facing the ambitious CPEC project and a religiously motivated attack on a Chinese engineer accused of blasphemy against Islam, Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir has embarked on a two-day visit to Beijing.

A CNN-News18 report quoted officials in Pakistan as saying that General Asim Munir is leading a high-level security delegation to China.

During his stay in Beijing, the Pakistan Army chief will reportedly attend meetings on the security issues between the two countries, including security for projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The CPEC has faced regular attacks from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – also known as the Pakistani Taliban – and Baloch insurgents in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan.

There have been attacks on Chinese citizens in other parts of Pakistan as well, most notably a suicide bombing targeting a Chinese language institute in Karachi.

Military cooperation between Pakistan and China will also be part of the discussions, the officials added.

This is the second high-level military delegation from Pakistan to visit China in April. Earlier this month, ISI Director General Nadeem Anjum visited China on April 11-12 for meetings on security-related issues.

Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir’s visit to China comes days after a Chinese engineer working on a CPEC project in the Kohistan district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was attacked by local villagers for alleged blasphemy against Islam.

The Chinese national was arrested and was transferred to Abbottabad via a Pakistan Army helicopter due to fears over his security after locals surrounded the police station where he had been detained. He was later sent to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.

China has expressed repeated concerns over the security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan in the past. Hundreds of Chinese citizens are working on CPEC projects in Pakistan and have been targets of regular attacks.

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