China's Xi cancles Pakistan visit amid political chaos, but trip to rival India is still on
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Chinese President Xi Jinping is calling off a visit to Pakistan amid political violence in that country, but is still slated to travel later this month to Pakistan's archrival India.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on his Twitter account Friday that the visit was postponed. Sharif blamed anti-government protesters who converged on Islamabad more than two weeks ago, demanding he step down.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang sidestepped a question about the postponement, saying the visit hadn't been formally announced.
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The visit would've been Xi's first to Pakistan, a longstanding ally, since taking office last year. He is scheduled to visit India in late September amid warming relations between the Asian giants. India and China have largely shelved a border dispute that led to a 1962 war.