Pakistan's Qureshi in China on 3-day visit (Lead)

Beijing, March 18 (IANS) Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi arrived in China on Monday on a three-day trip during which he is scheduled to attend the first Islamabad-Beijing foreign ministers' strategic dialogue. Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing and Pakistan's Ambassador to China Masood Khalid, along with other embassy officials, received Qureshi at Beijing airport, reports Dawn news. During the visit, both sides will hold comprehensive discussions on the entire range of bilateral relations, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Both sides will also discuss the regional situation and cooperation. Qureshi will also address the Political Parties Forum on the CPEC and participate in the ruling parties' dialogue between the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and the Communist Party of China. He will also call on the Chinese leadership. The Foreign Minister's trip comes less than a week after China on March 13 vetoed sanctions against Masood Azhar, the chief of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad terror group. It was the third time that the UN Security Council had taken up a resolution to include Azhar's name in the UN sanctions blacklist, which will subject him to a global travel ban and freezing of assets.
--IANS ksk/bg