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Central & South Asia
China and Pakistan seal new deals
Pakistan honours visiting Chinese president with nation's highest civilian award.
Last Modified: 25 Nov 2006 15:25 GMT


Hu is the first Chinese president
to visit Pakistan in a decade

China and Pakistan have further strengthened their partnership after Hu Jintao, China's president, visited Pakistan.
 
The two countries signed on Saturday a statement which reinforced their close ties in fields as defence, energy and trade.
 
Hu also received Pakistan's highest civilian honour, the Nishaan-e-Pakistan, during his visit.

Saturday's statement said that Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, accepted an invitation from Hu to visit Beijing.

 

"China will continue to view its relations with Pakistan from a strategic and long-term perspective and work together with Pakistan to elevate the China-Pakistan strategic partnership to a new high," the statement said.

 

Hu's visit to Pakistan is the first by a Chinese leader in a decade.

 

Trade agreement

 

The two sides also hailed the Free Trade Agreement signed on Friday, saying it would serve as an "engine for balanced growth of volume of trade" between the two countries.

 

The deal is expected to triple bilateral trade to more than US$15 billion over the next five years.

 

China also offered Pakistan help with its energy and mining industries.

 

The two countries vowed to jointly combat terrorism, separatism and extremism, saying those "three forces" posed great threats to regional peace, stability and security.

 

Nuclear ties

 

Hu said on Friday after talks with Musharraf that Beijing would carry on cooperating with the nuclear power industry in Pakistan.

 

China has already built one reactor and is helping to construct another. However, he did not announce any new deals.

 

Beijing remains Islamabad's largest arms supplier, and the two are jointly developing the JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft. China has also invested millions of dollars in a deep sea port in southwest Pakistan to access the Arabian Sea.

 

Hu's visit to Pakistan followed a trip to its South Asian rival, India.

 

He is scheduled to return to Beijing midway through Sunday after inaugurating an economic zone.

Source:
Agencies
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