Asia-Pacific

China hopes Pakistan, India improve ties

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-04-18 21:04

BEIJING - China hopes that Pakistan and India would improve their ties through dialogue, Chinese President Hu Jintao said here Wednesday.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz (L) and China's President Hu Jintao shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 18, 2007. [Reuters]

China sincerely hopes that Pakistan and India will maintain the momentum of dialogue and jointly improve bilateral ties in a bid to promote peace, stability and development in the South Asian region, said Hu.

Hu made the remarks while meeting with visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, who pays an official visit to China from April 16 to 20.

Aziz pledged Pakistan will continue to work with India to solve their unsettled problems through dialogue and negotiations.

President Hu highlighted China-Pakistan relations, saying bilateral strategic cooperative partnership has entered a new development stage.

China is ready to make joint efforts with Pakistan to earnestly implement the agreements the two sides have inked and enhance cooperation in such areas like trade, science and technology, culture to lift all-weathered friendship to a new level, said Hu.

With regards to China-Pakistan trade cooperation, President Hu said the two countries should enlarge the scale of trade exchanges, enhance cooperation between the enterprises and explore new cooperative fields and ways.

President Hu and Aziz also exchanged views on reconstruction in Afghanistan and Iran's nuclear issue.

Aziz held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao on Tuesday. The two countries signed 13 agreements on cooperation in fields such as space, telecommunications, education and legal assistance after talks.

Aziz will also visit Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, where he will attend the inaugural ceremony of Pakistan's consulate general.

From April 20 to 21, Aziz will attend the annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) to be held in China's southernmost Hainan Province.

The BFA annual conference brings together senior government officials, business executives as well as leading academics whose activities affect Asia.