Al Jazeera reports that Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan’s president, is touring China for his first official visit to secure Chinese investments for his country and possibly discuss nuclear power. Zardari will meet with both Hu Jintao, China’s president, and Wen Jiabao, China’s prime minister, during his trip.
Zardari scheduled four-day trip shows Pakistan’s willingness to raise the Chinese-Pakistan foreign relations. He will be looking to encourage Chinese investment, and increasing their bilateral trade from $7 billion a year to $15 billion a year by 2011.
“I’m looking forward to visiting China … I am hoping to remind the leadership of the world how close our relationship is,” Zardari told Xinhua, China’s official news agency, before his trip.
Speculation about a deal between the two countries involving civil nuclear power is also under consideration. Such an agreement would be similar the recent deal the United States made with India.
“I would like to stress our co-operation is totally consistent with the two countries’ respective international obligations and is totally for peaceful purpose and subject to IAEA [a UN nuclear inspectorate] supervision,” Qin said on Tuesday
Asif Ali Zardari
