ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China will hold high-level talks today (Friday) on the expansion of bilateral trade and cooperation in civil nuclear energy, as the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao arrives in the Pakistani capital for a three-day visit.
The Jiabao will hold discussions with his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani soon after he arrives.
The Chinese prime minister will also meet President Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan’s military leadership during his visit.
“The talks between the Chinese prime minister and his Pakistani counterpart will focus on the expansion of bilateral trade. Pakistan’s push for greater business links with China will be a major part of Gilani’s talks with the Chinese leader,” said a Foreign Ministry official. He said Pakistan and China had been trying to expand the scope of their relationship because their trade relations did not portray the strength of their political relationship.
“At present, Pakistan-China bilateral trade is close to $7 billion, which the authorities in the two states believe is nothing and needs to be enhanced manifold to match the political ties between Islamabad and Beijing,” he said. The official said the talks between the two prime ministers would be followed by the signing of around 35 agreements and memorandums of understandings (MOUs) in areas of economy, energy and communication.
He said Islamabad and Beijing had agreed in principle to the deal of sale of two nuclear reactors to Pakistan by China.
