He Lifeng, vice premier of China, arrives in Pakistan for the anniversary of the CPEC.

He Lifeng, the vice premier of China, came in Pakistan on Sunday to take part in a ceremony commemorating the CPEC’s (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) ten-year anniversary.

He will meet with President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during his tour, which runs from July 30 to August 1, according to PTI. He is a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Upon his arrival here, he was welcomed by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, according to ARY News.

The Chinese vice premier, who is in Pakistan for a three-day visit at the invitation of the federal government, is said to have played a “prominent role” in China’s implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, whose flagship project is CPEC, according to a statement released by the Foreign Office (FO) earlier on Saturday.

He played a key role in the development and implementation of several CPEC projects in Pakistan while serving as the Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission.

The Pakistan Foreign Office said that He’s visit demonstrates the significance Pakistan and China pay to furthering their “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership”.

It also underlines support on matters pertaining to each other’s fundamental interests, improves economic and financial cooperation, promotes the high-quality development of CPEC, and investigates fresh opportunities for enhancing bilateral trade and investment relations.

Since 2013, Pakistan has been home to a number of infrastructural and other projects that are being built as part of the CPEC.

China has so far invested USD 25.4 billion directly in Islamabad’s various transportation, energy, and infrastructure projects through the flagship connectivity and investment corridor project, a component of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

India opposes the CPEC because it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and links Gwadar Port in Balochistan, Pakistan, with Xinjiang, China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping introduced the BRI in 2013. With a network of land and water routes, it seeks to connect Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf area, Africa, and Europe.

With infrastructure projects throughout the globe financed by Chinese money, the BRI is seen as an effort by China to increase its influence overseas.

After Sri Lanka awarded China a 99-year lease on its Hambantota port as part of a debt exchange in 2017, claims that smaller nations are struggling under rising Chinese debt arose as a result of the project.