Pakistan's interim Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar will visit China to participate in the third Belt and Road Forum commencing in Beijing later this month, the Foreign Office said on Thursday.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch at the weekly briefing said Kakar was undertaking the trip at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“The prime minister will attend the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum on October 17 and hold bilateral meetings with President Xi Jinping, senior Chinese leaders, as well as, other leaders attending the Belt and Road Forum,” she said.

Baloch said Kakar would highlight the key achievements of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and highlight future priorities for the multi-billion dollar initiative.

The CPEC, announced in 2013, is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a giant connectivity initiative planned by China to revive the ancient Silk Road across Eurasia and Africa.

The CPEC enters Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) through the Karakoram Highway in Gilgit Baltistan and aims to circumvent the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea to improve infrastructure within Pakistan for better trade with China and to further integrate the countries of South Asia.

The prime minister will also meet with leading Chinese entrepreneurs to expand bilateral trade and investment. He will also visit Urumqi to meet with local leaders and businessmen aiming to enhance trade, investment and people-to-people relations.

The visit comes in the backdrop of the ongoing celebrations marking the ten years of the CPEC.

Baloch in her press briefing also said that repatriation of illegal foreign nationals was not specific to any nationality, as the decision was taken in view of the country's own interests to curb illegal activities and terrorism.

The spokesperson also called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza. “We are deeply concerned about the fast deteriorating and dire humanitarian situation in Gaza due to inhuman blockade and collective punishment by Israeli forces,” she said.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.