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Pakistan's financing minister in Beijing to seek financial obligation relief, state sources

Pakistan's Financing Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb showed up in Beijing on Thursday for talks on power sector debt relief along with structural reforms suggested by the International Monetary Fund, 2 federal government sources said.

He held a conference with his Chinese equivalent in Beijing, they said, and is leading a delegation, in addition to Power Minister Awais Leghari, that will talk about several propositions, including reprofiling nearly $15 billion in energy sector financial obligation.

As the conference advanced, Pakistan's bonds slid lower, with the 2036 maturity down 1.73 cents to bid at 73.05 cents on the dollar by 1415 GMT, according to Tradeweb data, its lowest since April.

The nations, which share a border, have actually been longtime allies, and rollovers or dispensations on loans from China have helped Pakistan fulfill its external financing requires in the past.

The IMF this month agreed on a $7 billion bailout for the heavily indebted South Asian economy, while raising concerns over high rates of power theft and circulation losses that result in financial obligation accumulating throughout the production chain.

The government is executing structural reforms to reduce circular debt - public liabilities that develop in the power sector due to subsidies and unsettled bills - by 100 billion Pakistani rupees ($ 360 million) a year, Leghari has said.

On Thursday he stated on X that he and the finance minister had actually informed Chinese Minister of Financing Lan Fo'an on Pakistan's. efforts to introduce tax and energy reforms in the system.

A statement from Pakistan's finance ministry stated that. Aurangzeb informed the Chinese side about the financial reform. program, efforts to reinforce tax income generation, and energy. and state-owned business reform. He explained the deal between. the IMF and Pakistan as a crucial enabler to execute the. reform agenda, it added.

The Chinese finance ministry did not respond to ask for. remark.

Both the finance and power ministers told in. interviews recently that they would be talking about the power. sector reforms in their Beijing see, though they did not. specify the timing.

Poor and middle-class homes have been affected by a. previous IMF bailout reached last year, which included raising. power tariffs as part of the funding programme that ended in. April.

China has set up over $20 billion worth of prepared energy. jobs in Pakistan.

(source: Reuters)