Pakistan's PM hails China ties ahead of visit to ink trade pacts
Monday, April 16, 2007
PAKISTAN'S Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Saturday he was excited by deepening ties with China, ahead of a visit to Beijing to sign a series of accords covering infrastructure, investment and energy.
Aziz's visit to China, which will start today until April 21, comes at a time when Pakistan is concerned about mixed signals from the United States, that have pointed to strains in the relationship between Washington and one of its most important Muslim allies in the war against terrorism.
Since its formation almost 60 years ago, Pakistan has experienced an on-off ties with the United States, while China has remained a constant friend, and a useful regional counterweight given Pakistan's old rivalry with India.
"The visit to China is a very important part of developing closer relations with a trusted friend of Pakistan. A friend where we share common values and common positions on major issues," Aziz said in an interview in the southern city of Karachi.
The prime minister said the trip will cover trade, investment, energy cooperation, security, defence, science and technology and several other areas.
"There will be at least 20 agreements or MoUs (memorandums of understanding) signed during the trip the highest ever on any bilateral trip between Pakistan and any country. So we are very excited," Aziz said.
But he refused to be drawn on whether Pakistan was close to getting any commitment by China to build civil nuclear power plants, something the United States has refused to do.
Turning to ties with the United States, Aziz said the two partners had to be frank with each other, but they should also exercise sensitivity, and avoid spreading distrust through the media, in an apparent allusion to the negative press his country gets in the United States.
While US leaders routinely praise President Pervez Musharraf for his support in the war on terrorism, lower ranking officials are often critical, particularly regarding a failure to crack down harder on Taliban fighters based in Pakistan.
Democrat lawmakers have urged the Bush administration to make future aid to Pakistan conditional on results in fighting terrorism and the strengthening of democracy, prompting Aziz to caution Washington earlier this week to avoid introducing any legislation that could be perceived as critical of Pakistan as it could undermine the government.
In the past six years, Pakistan has received an estimated US$10 billion of support from the United States, much of it in the form of military aid.
Aziz said the United States was contributing to the economy in a number of ways, but he specified the sale of F-16 warplanes and latest equipment and ammunition. Reuters
Aziz's visit to China, which will start today until April 21, comes at a time when Pakistan is concerned about mixed signals from the United States, that have pointed to strains in the relationship between Washington and one of its most important Muslim allies in the war against terrorism.
Since its formation almost 60 years ago, Pakistan has experienced an on-off ties with the United States, while China has remained a constant friend, and a useful regional counterweight given Pakistan's old rivalry with India.
"The visit to China is a very important part of developing closer relations with a trusted friend of Pakistan. A friend where we share common values and common positions on major issues," Aziz said in an interview in the southern city of Karachi.
The prime minister said the trip will cover trade, investment, energy cooperation, security, defence, science and technology and several other areas.
"There will be at least 20 agreements or MoUs (memorandums of understanding) signed during the trip the highest ever on any bilateral trip between Pakistan and any country. So we are very excited," Aziz said.
But he refused to be drawn on whether Pakistan was close to getting any commitment by China to build civil nuclear power plants, something the United States has refused to do.
Turning to ties with the United States, Aziz said the two partners had to be frank with each other, but they should also exercise sensitivity, and avoid spreading distrust through the media, in an apparent allusion to the negative press his country gets in the United States.
While US leaders routinely praise President Pervez Musharraf for his support in the war on terrorism, lower ranking officials are often critical, particularly regarding a failure to crack down harder on Taliban fighters based in Pakistan.
Democrat lawmakers have urged the Bush administration to make future aid to Pakistan conditional on results in fighting terrorism and the strengthening of democracy, prompting Aziz to caution Washington earlier this week to avoid introducing any legislation that could be perceived as critical of Pakistan as it could undermine the government.
In the past six years, Pakistan has received an estimated US$10 billion of support from the United States, much of it in the form of military aid.
Aziz said the United States was contributing to the economy in a number of ways, but he specified the sale of F-16 warplanes and latest equipment and ammunition. Reuters
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