News
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Pakistan, China vow to strengthen strategic ties* Both countries sign deals of cooperation in agriculture, healthcare, justice, media, economy, technology
* Zardari says Pakistan will create secure environment for Chinese firmsBEIJING: Pakistan and China on Wednesday reaffirmed to strengthen strategic relationship between the two countries, increase the level of economic cooperation and take concrete measures to further bring their people closer.
The two countries pledged to make joint efforts to fight terrorism, and signed six deals of cooperation in the areas of agriculture, healthcare, justice, media, economy and technology. Chinese President Hu Jintao and President Asif Ali Zardari witnessed the signing of the deals. During the two-hour-long talks before the signing ceremony, Jintao and Zardari also vowed to fight the “three forces” of extremism, separatism and terrorism jointly.
“China and Pakistan are both victims of terrorism and cooperation between the two countries in fighting the ‘three forces’ complies with the interests of people of both the countries and is conducive to peace, stability and security in the region,” Jintao added.
“China is a friend and a strategic partner, committed to the promotion of stability and economic progress of Pakistan” is how Jintao summed up the strategic relations.
Zardari responded by saying, “It is our belief that Pakistan can act as a force multiplier for China and we will continue to work towards this end.” The president’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the two leaders discussed a host of issues relating to strategic partnership, reviewing the steps taken thus far and also charting a future course of action.
Militancy: Jintao reaffirmed his country’s support to Pakistan in its fight against militancy, saying China appreciated the struggle of the people and the government of Pakistan against terrorists.
On trade cooperation, Jintao said China would explore new ways to cooperate as well as cement cooperation between the two countries in areas such as energy, transportation, telecommunication, infrastructure and agriculture.
He appreciated the Pakistan government’s efforts to safeguard the security of Chinese nationals and organisations in Pakistan, while Zardari said Pakistan would create a secure environment for Chinese firms in his country. Welcoming Zardari, the Chinese president said he had directed his foreign minister to take steps for the exchange of youth, cultural and writers’ delegations between the two countries and also increasing scholarships for young Pakistanis to study in China.
He said the Chinese government was determined to making the relationship “more vibrant”. He added that China valued Pakistan’s support on regional and international forums. Jintao said China would continue to maintain contact with Pakistan on issues such as the reform of the UN Security Council and climate change in order to ensure common interests of the developing countries. Minister of State for Finance Hina Rabbani Khar signed an agreement on economic and technical cooperation on the occasion. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk