BEIJING, May 31, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit China and meet President Xi Jinping next week, Beijing's foreign ministry said on Friday.

Beijing is Islamabad's closest regional ally, readily providing financial assistance to bail out its often-struggling neighbour.

China has inked more than two trillion dollars in contracts around the world under its Belt and Road investment scheme, with billions pouring into infrastructure projects in Pakistan.

Sharif will visit China from June 4 to 8 on the invitation of local counterpart Li Qiang, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

He will visit the southern and northern provinces of Guangdong and Shaanxi, she added.

"China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic partners and loyal friends," Mao said.

"China and Pakistan's friendship has been tested by the times and is as solid as a rock and as stable as a mountain," she said.

"China and Pakistan have had close high-level exchanges in recent years, and bilateral practical has advanced steadily," Mao added.