The armed forces of China and Pakistan have kept close contacts
and achieved fruitful cooperation over the years, Defense Minister
Cao Gangchuan said in Beijing on Wednesday.
In a meeting with visiting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf,
Cao said that China-Pakistan friendship is firmly rooted in the
hearts of the peoples of the two countries.
China and Pakistan have increasingly developed friendly
cooperation in various fields over the past years, said Cao, who is
also vice chairman of the Central Military Commission and State
Councilor.
As this year marks the 50th anniversary of establishment of
diplomatic ties, China would like to take this opportunity to work
with Pakistan to further "all-round cooperation," Cao said.
Noting the Pakistani government values the partnership with
China, Musharraf said that Pakistan will continuously commit itself
to developing full cooperation with Chinese departments, including
the Chinese defense ministry and armed forces.
Hopefully the cooperation will inject vitality into the
strategic partnership between the two countries, Musharraf
said.
As his five-day state visit coincided with the 55th anniversary
of diplomatic ties, Musharraf unveiled a series of commemorative
events in Beijing apart from meeting with senior Chinese leaders,
including President Hu Jintao, top legislator Wu Bangguo and
Premier Wen Jiabao.
Musharraf will also visit Southwest China's Sichuan Province
before he wraps up the visit on Thursday.
(Xinhua News Agency February 22, 2006)
