Pakistan's president is set to arrive in Beijing on Tuesday for a five-day state visit, according to Anadolu Agency.
"At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Asif Ali Zardari of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan will pay a state visit to China from Feb. 4-8," a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said Monday.
Zardari is expected to meet with Xi and other Chinese leaders to discuss a range of bilateral issues, including ways to enhance economic and defense cooperation between the two longtime allies.
The two sides will also discuss progress on the second phase of the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a diplomatic source in Islamabad told Anadolu.
The $64 billion CPEC, signed in 2015, aims to connect China's strategically important northwestern Xinjiang province to Gwadar Port in southern Pakistan through a network of roads, railways and pipelines to transport cargo, oil and gas.