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Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan (G) has sought China's economic support from Prime Minister Li Keqiang (D) on November 3, 2018. REUTERS / Jason Lee / Pool
After seeking help from the IMF, and recently obtained a $ 6 billion loan from Saudi Arabia, the Pakistani prime minister came to negotiate with China. Imran Khan met with Chinese President Friday, and the Prime Minister this Saturday, November 3rd.
With our correspondent in Shanghai , Simon Leplâtre
Imran Kahn is " here to learn, " in his own words. The Pakistani Prime Minister hopes to learn from China about economic development and the fight against corruption. What, at the same time, celebrate the success of its Chinese host. A little flattery does not hurt when it comes to asking for financial help from its main creditor.
Because that's what the Prime Minister of Pakistan came for. The country is in crisis, and China is by far its biggest trading partner. Pakistan is at the heart of the silk roads , this great Chinese political and commercial project.
In Pakistan, this translates into an "economic corridor", a network of roads, and power plants. But these projects are estimated at 50 billion euros.
Shortly after his election, Imran Khan had mentioned the possibility of renegotiating or canceling some too expensive projects. In front of the cameras, the Chinese and Pakistani leaders have simply celebrated the project's contribution to development, but in private, the question will no doubt be: how can we continue to finance these investments without pushing Pakistan into bankruptcy?