Pakistan, China high level visits to pick up this year.

ISLAMABAD -- High-level exchange of visits between PakiAstan and China will pick up this year as the two countries come out of the Covid restrictions.

Senior Pakistani dipAlomats told The Nation that the visits of Prime Minister Shehbaz SharAif, Foreign Minister BiAlawal Bhutto Zardari and other cabinet memAbers are expected this year before the generAal elections, expected in October. 'The PM and the FM are eager to visAit Beijing before going into the elections. The opAtions are being considered through the diplomatAic channels,' said one diplomat. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal is already scheduled to visit China this week for discussions on the China-Pakistan EcoAnomic Corridor and other bilateral matters.

Another diplomat said Pakistan also expects high-level visits from China during the next few months. Last week, cash-strapped Pakistan reAceived a rollover of $2 billion in deposits for a peAriod of one year from China to help Islamabad get a much-required bailout from the International Monetary Fund to stabilise its economy.

The rollover, which basically is not a loan but a financial deposit to be kept at Pakistan's central bank for a period of one year, is one of the requireAments of the IMF in meeting its external financAing needs in order to move towards inking the staff-level agreement.

Pakistan and the IMF have been negotiating the release of a $1.1 billion loan since...