World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva on Friday pledged to further strengthen cooperation with Pakistan in the areas of 'disbursements programme lending' and 'guarantees provision for raising external funds' , according to a press release received by Dawn.com.

The pledge was made in a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) in Beijing.

According to the press release, issued by the Pakistani embassy in Beijing, the premier was accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the PM's Adviser on Finance Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, and Advisor on Commerce Abdul Razaq Dawood for his meeting with the World Bank CEO.

PM Imran informed the World Bank CEO of recent steps taken by the government to improve the economic and fiscal situation of Pakistan.

As per the press release, he appreciated the role played by the World Bank in "regional connectivity, poverty alleviation, financial management, provisional projects, Dasu and other infrastructure projects and ease of doing business."

Additionally, the premier told Georgieva about the socio-economic uplift measures that the government has taken and about the creation of 'Ehsas', the PTI's flagship social welfare programme.

Read: 'Ehsas': PM Khan launches ambitious social safety, poverty alleviation programme

The premier also met with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde on the sidelines of the BRF.

The prime minister had arrived in China yesterday on a four-day official visit. Earlier today in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the second BRF, he called for greater attention towards tackling climate change and poverty as Pakistan and China enter the next phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).