<span style="color: #222222;">President Xi Jinping on Wednesday expressed his "deep concerns" to the visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over the security of Chinese nationals working in Pakistan on the CPEC projects. During his talks with Sharif, Xi sought "reliable and safe environment" for Chinese institutions and personnel in Pakistan while telling him to accelerate various Chinese projects under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) part of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). CPEC projects, worth an estimated US$60 billion and mainly involving transport and energy infrastructure, have faced delays because of difficulties raising funds, Covid-19 restrictions and supply chain woes and also faced stiff opposition and attacks recently. India has objected to China over the CPEC as it is being laid through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).<br />''<br />''Sharif, who arrived in Beijing on Tuesday night on a two-day visit, met Xi at the ornate Great Hall of People and the two leaders held wide-ranging talks during which they agreed to strengthen the all-weather friendship, according to an official statement, which – contrary to expectations – did not mention about any financial assistance to Pakistan, whatsoever. On his first visit to China as Prime Minister, Sharif is also the first Head of the Government to congratulate Xi on his record third term as General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), after the 20th Party Congress.<br />''<br />''This is the second time in about two months, Xi expressed concern over the recurring attacks on Chinese nationals working in Pakistan by the Baloch Nationalist Army and other militant groups which claim that the projects exploit local minerals and extend China's influence in the region. Sharif met Xi last month on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit at Samarkand in Uzbekistan. According to media reports, miffed with recurring attacks on its workers, China is reportedly pressing Pakistan to permit the Chinese security agencies to provide security for their personnel which Islamabad is resisting.<br />''<br />''In his meeting with Sharif, Xi – who is expected to be in power for his life like Mao – said China and Pakistan are good friends, good partners and good brothers" and they demonstrated "iron-clad friendship" by supporting each other in a "chaotic world". "China has always viewed China-Pakistan relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective and has always placed Pakistan in priority in our neighbouring diplomacy," he said.<br />''<br />''According to reports, China is unhappy over the inordinate delays of the CPEC projects which Sharif says will be accorded priority to complete with new deadlines. "We should accelerate the construction of supporting infrastructure of Gwadar Port and give play to the role of the port in radiating and driving the development of regional connectivity," Xi said. The CPEC connects Xinjiang with Pakistan's strategic Gwadar port in resource rich Balochistan. "Both sides should make joint efforts to create conditions for the early implementation of the upgrading and reconstruction project of Mainline No. 1 railway line and the Karachi ring railway project," Xi said.<br />''However, there was no announcement on details of any funding support as it comes amid China moving slow on some of its lending due to growth concerns and criticism of BRI for lack of viability studies and lack of transparency in lending. The Mainline No. 1 railway line refers to the Karachi-Peshawar rail line, which the previous Imran Khan government was not keen on as it was estimated to cost about USD 10 billion, increasing Pakistan's debt burden.<br />''According to reports from Pakistan, Sharif was expected to seek debt relief from China, to provide more help for his government to shore up the balance of payments position to avert a crisis similar to Sri Lanka. After Wednesday's meeting, Chinese state media quoted President Xi Jinping as saying that China will continue to provide Pakistan with support within its capacity to stabilize the financial situation, however, no further details were announced.<br />''<br />''Pakistan had been struggling with a balance of payments crisis and the matter was made worse with the devastating floods in the country this summer, which needs more than USD16 billion for reconstruction as per government estimates. The Chinese statement did not mention whether China provided any further financial assistance for flood relief.<br />''<br />''China has been criticized by West for its "debt diplomacy" which is used to make developing nations more dependent on Beijing. Earlier this year, China delayed a bailout for Pakistan as its debt soared, and it has been scaling back lending in Africa as its economy slows. About 30% of Pakistan's foreign debt is owed to China, including state-owned commercial banks, the International Monetary Fund said in a report in September. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Pakistan's total non-Paris Club bilateral debt currently stands at about USD 27 billion, of which Chinese debt is about USD 23 billion.<br />''The Pakistani government said in a statement that Sharif, on his first visit to China as prime minister, had signed agreements covering a "broad range" of areas, but did not give details. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also held talks with Sharif on the same day.<br />''In his precedent-breaking third term as General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party, which is the most powerful position in China, Xi Jinping is hosting a flurry of foreign leaders this week as he vowed to increase China's global influence amid geopolitical tumult. Vietnam's Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong became the first foreign leader to meet Xi on Monday since the Chinese president removed rival factions and installed loyalists at a leadership reshuffle at the 20th party congress in October.<br />''<br />''As Shehbaz Sharif wrapped up his China visit on Wednesday, Xi and his top officials are prepared to hold talks with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Thursday followed by a day's trip by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday. Scholz's visit comes amid the backdrop of efforts of Europe, in general, and Germany, in particular, to reduce their dependency on China.</span><br />