President's meeting with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping‏

Beijing, June 7, 2012:
President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the bonds of Pak-China friendship
were beyond the confines of time limits and the legacy of this friendship
would continue to pass on from generation to generation.
This he said during his meeting with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping at
Diaoyutai State Guest House Beijing today.
Spokesperson to the President Senator Farhatullah Babar while briefing
about the meeting said that from the onset of the meeting of the two
leaders, Chinese Vice President expressed great pleasure to receive and
meet the President lauding his contributions in further strengthening the
equation whose foundations were laid by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
The President on his part while highlighting the time-tested and
all-weather Pak-China friendship conveyed to the Vice President the
sentiments of the people of Pakistan to see Pak-China friendship getting
even stronger under Chinese leadership. The President also extended
invitation to Vice president Xi Jinping to visit Pakistan at convenient
date which the later accepted.
He said that people of Pakistan greatly value the unparalleled friendship
with the Chinese brothers and greatly appreciate their assistance at every
hour of distress.
President Zardari said that Pakistan wanted to transform its traditional
equation with China into economic terms and wanted to learn from the
Chinese experience of growth and development. He said that the Government
was keen to see Chinese investors and business community playing active
role in the socio-economic development of the country and getting benefit
from the investment friendly opportunities offered by the Government of
Pakistan.
The President said that it was heartening to see some important
developments taking place between the two countries like the currency swap
agreement, the implementation of 2nd Trade and Economic Program, opening
of Chinese banks in Pakistan and two countries entering into
understandings to extend cooperation in the areas of agriculture,
irrigation, infrastructure development, and others. However, there still
existed a tremendous potential that needed to be explored and promote
mutual cooperation especially in the area of energy, the President
remarked.
The President said that each of visits to China was a source of great
learning for him and it was a source of great personal satisfaction to see
Pak-China friendship following an upward trajectory especially in the
present era.
The President said that China was a source of stability for the region and
Pakistan wanted to see China playing maximum role in promoting stability,
peace and development in the region.
He conveyed to the Chinese Vice President the gratitude of the people and
the Government of Pakistan for China’s unflinching support to Pakistan’s
sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and its appreciation
of huge sacrifices made in fighting the menace of extremism and militancy.
He said that Pakistan was making every effort to contribute its share
towards promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan by lending its full
supported to an Afghan led national reconciliation process. He described
initiation of the China-Pakistan-Afghanistan tripartite dialogue an
important development for the peace, stability and development of the
region.
Chinese Vice President thanked the President saying that the Chinese
people were equally eager to further strengthen the mutual equation and
broaden the spectrum of mutual cooperation. He reiterated that China would
continue to provide all support to the people of Pakistan.