Premier Wen Jiabao said
Tuesday that China and Pakistan, which enjoy increasingly solid
traditional friendly relations, should work to increase bilateral
trade volume according to the newly signed preferential trade
arrangements between the two sides.
The two countries should
do a good job in carrying out the projects in question, which are
both under construction and being proposed, so that they can bring
economic and social benefits to the two countries at an early date,
Wen said at a meeting with visiting Pakistani President Pervez
Musharraf.
Wen suggested that the
two sides speed up negotiations on other projects financed by
China.
According to Wen,
cooperation between China and Pakistan in all fields is based on
equality and mutual trust, in line with the principle of
safeguarding peace and stability, and targeted at mutual benefits
and reciprocity.
Based on good political
ties, the two sides will expand trade and economic partnership with
China's sustained, healthy and stable economic development and
growing foreign trade, Wen said.
China is willing to work
with Pakistan to carry out the joint declaration they signed on the
development orientation of bilateral relations.
Musharraf praised
Pakistan-China relations as time-honored, saying the
traditional friendship and mutual trust between the two people
would always push forward bilateral relations.
He agreed with Wen on
expansion of bilateral trade and economic relations and said China
is able to play a key role in promoting regional cooperation in
Asia.
Also yesterday,
Musharraf said that China has emerged as a positive force for
economic stability and progress in Asia and the world at
large.
During a 40-minute
speech at Peking University, Musharraf looked forward to China's
economic engagement in Central and Southwest Asia "similar to its
economic and commercial role across the Asia-Pacific".
"China, which has
provided assurance and a safety net to Southeast Asian economies
when these were shaken by the financial crises of 1997 and 1998,
could help accelerate development and bring about economic
integration within Asia," he said.
"We must set ambitious
targets and pursue our cooperation in economic, commercial and
technological fields with utmost vigor."
(China Daily November 5,
2003)