ISTANBUL

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will pay an official visit to China next week, Beijing announced on Friday.

Sharif will pay a five-day trip from Tuesday at the invitation of Premier Li Qiang, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

The two sides are expected to formally launch the second phase of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the multi-billion-dollar project funded by Beijing in the South Asian nation.​​​​​​​