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Saturday, October 11, 2008
Zardari’s China visit to reinforce ties, says FO
* Several agreements, MoUs likely to be inked during visit
ISLAMABAD/BEIJING: President Asif Ali Zardari will embark on an official visit to China from October 14 to 17 on the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement. “President Zardari’s visit to China will mark yet another important step forward in reinforcing the all-weather friendship between the two countries and open up new avenues for bilateral co-operation,” the FO statement said. It said the president’s visit demonstrated the government’s resolve to take the time-tested relationship between Pakistan and China to new heights. It added the visit would provide the two sides with an opportunity to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and global developments. During his stay, Zardari would hold talks with President Hu Jintao, National People’s Congress Chairman Wu Bangguo, premier Wen Jiabao and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Jia Qinglin, the statement said. It said the foreign, defence, finance and environment ministers and the Planning Commission deputy chairman would accompany the president. MoUs: Several agreements and memorandum of understandings (MoUs) are likely to be signed during the visit, it said, adding that President Zardari would also meet heads of Chinese financial institutions, corporate sector and media to enhance commercial, industrial, banking and financial sector co-operation between the two countries. Pakistan and China have deep-rooted ties that had been nurtured by four generations, the statement said and added that both countries closely co-operated with each other at international fora and shared convergence of views on regional and global issues. It said the two countries had developed an overarching architecture for sustained development of economic and trade relations, which included the Pakistan-China Joint Five-Year Economic Plan signed in November 2006 and the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), operational since last year. The FO statement said that trade between the two countries was now worth more than $7 billion and both sides were committed to achieving a trade target of $15 billion by 2011. Pakistan-China Joint Investment Company, established in 2007, is geared to promote joint ventures and investments. An investment protocol of the FTA, to be signed during the visit, will also contribute significantly to inducing Chinese investors into Pakistan, it said. The statement said that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani would also visit China from October 23 to 25 to attend the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit. Pakistan joined the summit in 2006 and would attend its meeting for the first time. Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Masood Khan said on Friday that a strong political will existed between the leadership of the two countries to carry forward the strategic Pak-China partnership to new heights. Talking to the Chinese media, Ambassador Khan said giving “fresh impetus to Pakistan-China relationship” is the government’s top priority. staff report/app
Courtesy Daily Times