ISLAMABAD, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived here Monday for his first state visit to Pakistan, a South Asian neighbor that Beijing has long described as an "iron friend."

Xi's trip is expected to focus on strengthening bilateral ties and advancing the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a planned network of roads, railways and energy projects linking Pakistan's deepwater Gwadar Port with China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The two sides are scheduled to hammer out a package of deals in such fields as energy, infrastructure, trade and economic cooperation.