China, a close ally of Islamabad, has said it is ready to provide assistance to Pakistan to help it cope with the current financial crisis, but the terms of the aid are still under discussion.
Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyu said after a meeting in Beijing between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and newly-elected Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Pakistan's growing financial crisis has raised questions about its ability to repay Chinese loans granted as part of China's "road and road" infrastructure initiative.
Pakistan has received billions of dollars in loans from China in recent years, the terms of which are still largely unknown.
China has pledged more than $ 60 billion to Pakistan in the form of loans and investments for roads, ports, power stations and industrial parks to build the so-called "China-Pakistan economic corridor".
Following Lee's meeting with Khan, Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyu said the two sides "made it clear in principle that the Chinese government will provide the necessary support and assistance to Pakistan to overcome the current economic difficulties."
"Regarding specific measures to be taken, the competent authorities on both sides will have detailed discussions," Kong told reporters.
Despite the looming balance of payments crisis in Pakistan, Kong said there were no plans to curtail the economic corridor, known as the China-Pakistan economic corridor, although he said it might be replaced "in favor of areas related to citizens' lives."
"There has been no change in the number of China-Pakistan economic corridor projects," he said, "If there is any change, the increase will continue."
In response to the debt crisis, Pakistan is seeking a $ 8 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund, which plans to send a team to Islamabad to assess the situation. It also seeks new loans from Saudi Arabia and China. Discussions on the new financing are expected to dominate Khan's visit.
Further complicating matters, the United States, strongly affecting the IMF, refused to fund the repayment of China-Pakistan loans.
Earlier, the Pakistani media reported that China is preparing a package of $ 6 billion in aid, including additional loans and investments for the China-Pakistan economic corridor.
The case did not appear in the opening words between Lee and Khan. Li said the visit of the former cricket star "will promote and develop the constant ties between our two countries."
Khan explained that the China-Pakistan economic corridor has evolved from concept to tangible results on the ground, which "aroused the attention of the Pakistani people."
"We believe this is a great opportunity for our country to advance and attract investment," Khan said, "This gives us an opportunity to raise our standard of living and our growth rate."
